Lovers Game
by Dean'sDeadlySin
Summary: "Seth Rollins, a self proclaimed Player has his eyes set on his mousy neighbor Jojo, he's determined to get her into his bed but instead she gets into his heart." Fluff alert and Major Smut ALERT in later chapters though (Updated Every Other day)
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello My Lovely Readers this is another Jojo Seth story and i know i promised you guys more blood and smut but im still working out the scenes in that one so here's a previously done story about The Player Seth Rollins lol. This story will feature a lot more smut though so i feel like you guys will enjoy that!**_

 _ **Rated:M**_

 _ **Characters:Seth Rollins, Jojo, Dean, Alexa Bliss, Carmella, and many more!**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1**_

JoJo Offerman hugged her bag of Chinese takeout to her chest as she slid into the slightly crowded elevator. Noting that the button for the seventh floor had already been pressed, she leaned back against the side wall. Her gaze was immediately snagged by the man lounging on the opposite wall with his arm draped around a scantily clad orange looking girl in a small tank top and even smaller mini skirt. In spite of his arm candy, his eyes locked with hers and refused to let go. Drat! JoJo would have hopped off the elevator and caught the next one up, but the doors were already closing.

She didn't know his name. Well, she didn't know the names of any of her neighbors. She liked her privacy and her personal space. In the absence of real names, she gave the neighbors that she ran into with regular frequency nicknames. There was the old man who lingered in the lobby whose mailbox was near hers who coughed and smelled like cabbage. She'd given him the moniker of Mr. Veggie Soup. Then there was the Cat Lady and the Gossip whose names were self-explanatory.

By far, her worst neighbor was the man that stood across her giving her a thorough examination. She called him The Pervert. Each time she ran into him he had a different girl on his arm, but that didn't stop him for giving her the x-ray treatment. JoJo found it to be especially perturbing since she didn't dress in a manner that should attract male attention. She didn't want to be noticed. At the moment, she wore a rayon jumpsuit that was two sizes too large and hung off her frame like a sack. Did that stop The Pervert from staring? Nope.

She dropped her eyes and took a deep breath. She shifted her feet and adjusted her package. The food was so hot, it was beginning to scald her but she refused to hold it by the plastic handles. It was a small shield between her and The Pervert's eyes, but aside from her purse, it was all she possessed at the moment.

The elevator stopped and everyone except The Pervert and his group exited. The Pervert was accompanied by another man with a pretty lady snuggled up to his side. JoJo bit her lip. When her eyes collided with The Pervert's again, he was still giving her that intense brown eyed stare that seemed to see too much. Diverting her attention to his friends, she saw the other man that had crazy blonde locks, glance at The Pervert before smirking at her.

JoJo quickly looked away. Finally, the elevator stopped on their floor. She was the first to exit. She walked/ran to her door with The Pervert strolling casually behind. JoJo whipped her keys out of her pocket and got her door open just as he arrived at his apartment directly across from hers.

"Have a good evening, JoJo," a deep male voice murmured, she felt his voice was probably a bit higher but he was just putting on an act.

JoJo whirled around to see that he had his door open and had let his friends inside. Heart pounding, she nodded then let herself into her place and shut and locked the door almost in one motion. "How does he know my name?" she whispered, afraid that he might still be lingering in the hallway.

With some effort, she shook off the sensation of being pursued. This was the first time he'd spoken to her. She didn't view it as a good sign.

She put her food and purse down on the small table in her kitchen where she ate most of her meals. A sense of relief that the weekend was here soothed her. She probably wouldn't leave her apartment again until Monday. She didn't have any plans other than playing games on her computer and maybe a little reading.

She went to her bedroom and changed into a large t-shirt and oversized pajama bottoms. Her favorite cardigan, a rather worn beige cotton weave that was also too large, lay across the end of her bed. She pulled it on as well and then ensconced her feet in a warm, fuzzy pair of boucle slippers.

She got a bottle of water from the fridge before sitting down to eat. She moved her purse to the back of a chair. The carton of fried rice was still steaming when she removed the paper carton from the bag. She got up to get a fork and a bowl. She'd begun eating when the quiet in the apartment seemed to close in on her. So she got up again and turned on the television in the den. Lately, she'd been watching a lot of cooking shows. She'd love to experiment with some of the recipes, but there didn't seem to be much point as she'd have to consume the entire meal herself. She did like her quiet, but there were moments when she wished she had someone.

JoJo sighed and took a gulp of water. From past experience, she knew the swamping feeling of loneliness would pass. She'd immerse herself in a game or a book. Maybe she'd call her aunt. Or maybe she should get a cat. Just one though. She didn't want to be the second cat lady in the building.

* * *

Seth Rollins smiled as little JoJo Offerman scurried away from him. She didn't realize that running would only excite him more. She was such a shy, little thing, always burying her body in baggy clothing. But Seth had his suspicions about what lay beneath the dowdy clothing ,he knew her ass was deliciously plump and he wanted to see, touch and lick every inch of it.

"Seth, babe, are you coming in or what?" Carmella called.

"Sure," he said, just barely hiding a scowl at her use of the endearment. He was no one's "babe." It was a sign that he and Carmella had hit that point where it was time for him to end their fling. He'd made it clear to Carmella from the start that he wasn't interested in anything serious. But they had been seeing each other for almost a month. Last Friday, she'd wanted him to stay over at her place. Seth didn't do sleepovers. So, yeah, it was definitely time to part ways with Carmella. He didn't want to lead her on and make her think that he'd changed his mind about being in a relationship.

He headed for the kitchen where his friends were gathered. Dean was already raiding his fridge for beer. Carmella and Dean's girlfriend Renee sat at the table. "We were thinking about ordering pizza," Renee said.

"Sounds great," Seth agreed. They spent the next few minutes discussing toppings. Carmella was proving to be difficult since she didn't want anything but cheese on her side, not even sauce. They finally decided to order two pizzas. Seth and Dean went downstairs to wait for the pizza so that the delivery guy wouldn't have to ride the elevator up.

"What's with you and your neighbor?" Dean asked.

"Nothing—yet."

Dean laughed. "I'm not sure why you want the mousy little thing, but you're terrifying the poor girl."

Seth silently acknowledged that this could be true, but he didn't care. Whenever she was around, he couldn't help looking his fill. He shrugged. "She'll come around. And she's not mousy. She's beautiful." Dean was a fool if he couldn't appreciate her beauty. She had smooth caramel skin, big dark brown eyes, and a plump mouth that made his dick hard. But lately, Dean was absorbed in Renee. That was fine with Seth. That meant no competition for him.

Dean grunted. "She might come around faster if you didn't already have a girl on your arm. And I wasn't referring to her looks so much as her behavior."

Seth spotted the pizza delivery guy and pulled out his wallet. "I won't have a girl on my arm for long." He extracted a couple of twenties and paid for the pizza and included a tip.

"And you don't think nailing your neighbor is a bad idea?" Dean asked, pressing the button for the elevator. The doors immediately slid open.

"Why should it be? We'll keep it casual. No feelings involved."

Dean shook his head, the dirty blonde mop on top of his head moving with him. He leaned against the elevator railing and crossed his feet in front of him. "It's too close to home," he advised. "If it goes wrong, there's no escaping it. Unless you're willing to move?"

Seth pressed the button for the seventh floor. "No, but it won't come to that. Think of the convenience," he said with a lascivious grin.

Dean chuckled. "And what will you do when you're in the mood for a different flavor?" It was no secret that Seth didn't have a preference when it came to women. He loved them all—tall, short, blonde, brunette, skinny, voluptuous, dark, light. It didn't matter.

He shrugged. "I guess I can be gentlemanly enough to sample other flavors elsewhere."

Dean choked. "You want her so bad you'd be willing to never bring another girl home again?"

Seth rolled his eyes. "You act like that's a big deal. I don't like bringing girls to my place. It encourages the surprise pop in." He shuddered. It had only happened to him once, but, damn, it had been ugly. It was an experience he did not care to repeat.

"Whatever. Renee really likes Carmella. Sure you don't want to hang onto her a bit longer?"

"Renee likes Carmella because she did her hair for free." For him, it was another red flag. Carmella was trying to weave her way into his social circle. He had to give it to her. The girl worked fast.

After Dean and Renee left he and Carmella sat on the couch but before he could say anything, Carmella straddled his lap and sealed her mouth to his. Seth let her have her way for a moment before gripping her waist and moving her off him. She landed beside him on the sofa with a small bounce. He'd debated a goodbye fuck but decided it wasn't worth the possible fallout. Besides, it would be a dick move to fuck her and then dump her.

Carmella licked her lips. "Did you want to take this to your bedroom?"

"No. Look, we need to talk."

Her thinly plucked eyebrows rose. "Really?"

He nodded. "We've been seeing each other for a while now and we both know that we weren't looking for anything long term."

"That's true," she said slowly. "But I thought things were going well."

Seth faltered. He couldn't argue that. There was nothing wrong with Carmella, but for him, it was just physical. He didn't miss her or think about her when she wasn't around. Not knowing what else to say, he told her what he would have wanted to hear—the truth. "I still don't want a relationship and if we keep seeing each other, I'm afraid someone might get hurt."

"By someone, you mean me, don't you?" She tugged the hem of her shirt, a wasted effort as the tank was so short it barely reached her midriff. When he didn't answer, she stood and glared down at him. "You don't give a damn about me, do you?"

Damn, he thought. This had the possibility of turning ugly. This is what he got for being too lazy to find someone new instead of continuing to call on a sure thing. Seth hated ugly scenes. It was another reason he avoided relationships. Too damn much work. "Carmella, I like you."

Her eyes narrowed. "You mean you like fucking me. But now you're ready to move on to someone new. Is this about that weird neighbor of yours?"

"Don't call her weird," Seth snapped. "She's shy not weird." JoJo didn't deserve to be maligned just because Carmella was jealous. The more Carmella talked, the more he realized he was right to stop seeing her.

"So it is about her?"

"No, I've never even held a conversation with her."

"What does that even mean? We didn't talk until after we fucked."

"Shit." Standing, Seth ran his fingers through his long dark hair. He was frustrated and getting irritated. "This is why I don't do commitments. I don't need the fifth degree from you, Carmella. You don't own me."

"Fine." She bent and retrieved her shoes from beneath his coffee table. She hopped on one foot as she struggled to do up the strap. "I wish you'd told me earlier. I could have caught a ride with Dean and Renee."

"I'll pay for your cab," Seth offered.

"Don't do me any favors. I'll call my roommate." Sighing, he walked her to the door. She turned back to him just as he was pushing the door closed. She smirked at him. "You know, I almost feel sorry for you. Guys like you go through life stomping on women's hearts until you get your comeuppance. In your case, it just may come in the form of your neighbor. I only wish I could be here to see her do it." She cast a glance over her shoulder. "She's far too smart to fall for a manwhore like you."

His jaw tightened. "Carmella, you knew what this was going in. Don't act like this was a one-sided thing. Or were you lying to me all along? Did you think I'd change my mind?"

"Go to hell, Seth Rollins." She tossed her hair as she whipped around and sauntered to the elevator. Rolling his eyes, Seth shut his door and locked it, glad that he'd followed his instincts and avoided one last fuck. He could only imagine how much worse that scene could have gone if they'd been naked and in his bedroom.

* * *

 _ **Next chapter is gonna be up tomorrow night, well i guess considering that it is like 3:45 in the morning over here in California i guess that would mean later today lol. Im updating this every other day basically just like last time!**_

 _ **See u then!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hey guys here's the next Chapter Let me know what you think! More Characters like AJ Styles is in this he plays Seth's older brother so i changed the last name lol Enjoy!**_

* * *

Chapter 2

Seth groaned as his phone rang at six on a Saturday morning. Without bothering to roll over or sit up, he reached a hand from beneath the covers to fumble around for his cell. Barely cracking open an eyelid, he thumbed the phone icon across the touchscreen to answer the call. The brightness of the lit up screen in the otherwise dark room hurt his eyes. "You must have a death wish," he grumbled into the receiver as he disconnected his phone from its charger.

"Seth," said a slightly breathless female voice. "Are you alone?"

"Alexa? Is that you?" He grinned. He hadn't heard from her in months.

She coughed. "Uh, yeah. Could you open your door? I'm outside your apartment."

"Really? Why?" He rolled over and tossed back the covers. He made a single step before glancing down at himself. He wore only boxer briefs.

"Just come open the door."

"Okay, give me a second." He disconnected the call and tossed his phone onto his bed. Rubbing his hands over his face, he went to his closet and grabbed a pair of jeans. He pulled them and worked up the zipper on his way to the door. He also checked his puffy hair as he passed a mirror. Though his long hair was a little poofy when he woke up but it was mostly under control.

"Alexa!" He hugged her tight until she stiffened and pulled away. She never did like displays of affection. But he'd been unable to resist. He closed the door behind her. "You look good." And she did. Her long blonde hair flowed over her shoulders in silky shining waves. She wore no makeup, but Alexa had a girl-next-door type of beauty that was fresh and clean. She had big, baby blue eyes that could fool a less savvy person into believing that she was a total innocent. Dean had jokingly called her Seth's female twin because of the way she went through men. But of late, there had been only one man for Alexa.

"Yeah, you, too." She glanced at him and away again. "Do you think you could put on a shirt?"

Seth smirked. "Too distracting?"

"Do get over yourself."

Laughing, he retreated to his bedroom and grabbed the first t-shirt he came across. He came out to find Alexa poking around in his kitchen. He leaned against the wall and watched her make coffee. "What's it been now? Three months?"

"Four," she said with a frown as she concentrated on making coffee.

"So, to what do I owe this honor? And why are you here so early in the morning?"

"I broke up with Buddy." Her voice was flat and emotionless.

Seth jolted. "What? Why?" Last he'd heard, they were practically engaged.

"I was tired of him dictating who I could and couldn't see."

He winced. This was his fault. He didn't have a permanent relationship because he didn't want one. It wasn't because he didn't believe in love and he certainly didn't begrudge his friends their happiness. He'd understood why Buddy didn't want Alexa hanging out with him. The fact that he and Alexa had been nothing but platonic friends since high school didn't convince Buddy that Seth wouldn't eventually make a move on her. Seth had taken it all in stride. It wasn't the first time one of Alexa's boyfriends had been jealous of him. Seth tried to keep a low profile if he was causing his friend a problem. For Buddy, Alexa had cut Seth completely out of her life. He didn't like it, but he'd understood.

"I'm really sorry, Alexa. I can talk to him if you want."

She sighed. "Don't bother. I've missed hanging out with you and Dean."

In high school, his mom had called them the Three Musketeers. Those times were long gone now. "Well, as you know, Dean is attached at the hip to Renee."

"Dean told me you were seeing someone. She's not here, is she?"

"No. You know I don't do sleepovers and I broke up with Carmella last night."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "It was time."

She got two coffee mugs out of his cabinet. "Seth…do you ever want to fall in love?"

"Not you, too," he groaned. "I get this enough from my family." His brother and his parents were always badgering him to settle down. They were all happily married and thought that he should be starting a family as well.

"This isn't about you. It's about me. Well, me and Buddy."

"So your question is purely hypothetical?"

"Yeah."

He nodded. "I don't know. There are times when I think it might not be so bad. I see happy couples and I wonder what that would be like. Listen, if you broke up with Buddy because of me-"

"What do you mean?" she asked sharply.

Seth frowned. She sounded panicked and it really made him think that this was his fault. "Because he didn't want you around me. I understood. He might eventually come around."

Alexa sighed. She filled the coffee cups. "I wasn't in love with him. I thought I might have been, but I was wrong."

"Oh." Now he was really confused. He ran his fingers through his hair.

She flicked a glance over him before doctoring their coffees with sugar and cream. "You need a haircut."

Damn. Maybe he should have let Carmella cut his hair before he broke up with her. She was an excellent hair stylist. He picked up his cup and joined Alexa at his kitchen table. "Hey, we're both single now."

She arched her brows. "And?"

"You could go out with me tonight. Check out the pickings," he suggested though he really had no interest in trolling bars and clubs. Unbidden, an image of his neighbor across the hall came to mind. There was no reason he couldn't pursue her now.

Groaning, Alexa rolled her eyes. "No, thank you. I'd like some time to myself. And you should really consider taking a moment for some self-reflection as well." She lifted her mug and took a long drink.

"No, thank you," he said with a smile. "I'm happy with my life as it is."

"With a different girl every week?"

Seth drank his coffee. "Are you about to slut-shame me?" Because though Dean always joked that Alexa was the female version of him, there was a difference. She was a serial monogamist. She wanted to fall in love with every man she dated, but it never worked out.

"No."

"Good because I'm not ashamed," he said with a big grin.

Alexa put down her mug. "I should get going."

He couldn't help but feel that he'd said something to piss her off, but he couldn't imagine what. "What'd I do?"

"Nothing, but…I've got some stuff to do." She rose and took her cup to the sink and rinsed it out before placing it inside his overloaded dishwasher. It had been a week since he'd last run it. With only his dishes to clean, it took a long time to fill the dishwasher. It was a shame because he actually liked to cook.

His coffee was largely untouched. He kept the supplies around mostly for friends and family. He didn't really like coffee. "Okay, well, don't be a stranger." He stood to walk her to the door.

Waving him off, Alexa said, "Don't get up. Enjoy your coffee." She smiled. "I'll see you soon." She leaned down to kiss him on the cheek. She ran a thumb over her jaw. "Might want to shave," she whispered. Her eyes locked with his for an instant before she cleared her throat and straightened. "See you around."

Seth ran his hand over the stubble. "Yeah," he agreed. She was acting weird. Sad, but weird as well. He chalked it up to the recent break up. She had to be disappointed at another failed relationship. He knew she'd had dreams of having a big family one day. Alexa was twenty-nine, same as him. Maybe she was doing that thing women did, worrying about fertility and shit. Seth sighed. He hoped she got over it soon. He missed his friend.

When she was gone, he dumped his coffee and rinsed out his cup. He put in the dishwasher. He searched his cabinet for dishwasher soap and came up empty. Right, that was the other reason why he hadn't run the machine.

He wondered if JoJo had dishwasher soap. She seemed the efficient sort who wouldn't run out of household supplies. With a grin, he checked the time on the clock on his oven. It was too early, but that was fine. He needed to shower and shave anyway.

He rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

* * *

JoJo took a bite out of her toast and then sipped her orange juice. In her other hand, she held her phone. She thumbed through the news, occasionally glancing over the countertop that separated the kitchen from the den so that she could see the television. One of her favorite episodes of Teen Titans Go! was airing. "Waffles," she mumbled with a giggle.

A knock on her door had her placing her phone on the countertop. It was only nine, but she knew it could only be her cousin Naomi. The two of them had been raised practically like sisters. After JoJo's parents had died in a car crash, her Aunt Cameron had taken her in. She'd been ten and Naomi had been twelve. The situation hadn't been completely ideal since Naomi was an only child and she hadn't been thrilled to have a younger kid come in and usurp some of her mother's attention. Up until JoJo joined them, it had just been the two of them.

A year ago, Aunt Cameron had retired from nursing and moved out of the city and to a small coastal town. Naomi was the only family she had in town. JoJo only had a few friends at work but they'd never been to her apartment.

So certain was she that it was Naomi that JoJo didn't even use the peephole before opening the door. "Good morn…" It wasn't Naomi. It was The Pervert. JoJo gulped for air.

For a pervert, he was damned gorgeous. The impossibly thick, dark chocolate waves of his hair shone in the dim overhead lighting provided in the hallway. His eyebrows were dark slashes over intense brown eyes framed with the sort of luscious lashes she only achieved when using that expensive special microfiber mascara Naomi insisted that she needed. Enough couldn't be said about his eyes. They slanted at the corners, giving him a sleepy sensual appearance. His nose was straight and pretty but broad enough to look masculine. His lips were the full sort that made her question when white boys started being born with mouths like that. It was the kind of mouth that gave a woman ideas—ideas about what his lips would feel like pressed against her own or trailing over sensitive parts of her body. A plain gray t-shirt strained at the seams over his broad shoulders and chest. His jeans were faded and worn soft in all the right places.

JoJo snatched her gaze away from the distractingly substantial bulge at his crotch and gripped the door in chase she needed to slam it in his face. "Um…"

"Morning, JoJo." He grinned. "I was wondering if you had any of those dishwashing packets."

She closed her mouth. Okay. So not only were they on a first name basis in his world; they were also close enough to mooch off one another. "C-come in," she invited reluctantly. She made a point of leaving the door open behind him.

He stepped over the threshold and immediately shivered. "It's like a meat locker in here."

JoJo wrapped her sweater closer around her body. She preferred shivering over sweating. "I hear it's supposed to be almost ninety degrees outside today." Shifting so that her back wasn't to him, she searched the cabinet beneath her sink. She had two bags of dishwashing packs. The open container had only two of the squares left. She grabbed the almost empty bag and stood up.

And then blinked in surprise. He'd moved while she wasn't paying attention and was now so close she could smell his soap and aftershave. He smelled amazing. And she so didn't. She hadn't showered or brushed her teeth. Or done her hair! A self-conscious hand flew up to touch her curly light brown hair. She hadn't felt like doing anything more than putting her hair in a ponytail last night which meant her face was surrounded by flyaway frizzy curls.

She pressed the bag of dishwasher packs to his chest. "You can have these."

He covered her hand and removed the proffered bag in a caressing manner, his palm warming her before he withdrew. "Thank you so much, JoJo. I forgot to buy more when I was out."

"No problem," she said.

"Let me pay you back. I'll take you out for coffee."

She shook her head. "You don't have to do that. And I don't drink coffee." She crossed to the door so that he would understand that this conversation was over and it was his cue to leave.

"JoJo, please, let me pay you back. I really appreciate what you're doing for me."

Frowning, she asked, "How do you know my name?"

"I overheard your friend say it. My name is Seth, by the way."

He must mean Naomi. She was the only one who came over and JoJo was beginning to wish that she didn't. "Nice to meet you, Seth," she said automatically. Social graces weren't her forte. In fact, if he didn't leave soon, she would be out of things to say and then she'd start to sweat even though she had the thermostat set on seventy degrees.

"We could go to lunch," he suggested.

Was he asking her out? She wasn't good at reading people. She thought of the mistakes she'd made with Jimmy Uso, one of the partners at the investment firm where she worked. Had that been her fault? She kept analyzing it afterward and she didn't think so. His motives had seemed so clear. But she must have been mistaken. He wasn't interested in her. And Seth wasn't either. She'd seen the type of women he dated and it definitely wasn't her. He liked outgoing, confident women. Not women like herself who had to psych themselves up for any social interaction.

When she didn't reply, he continued, "What are you doing later?"

Absolutely nothing. And she liked those plans. She intended to have a quiet day in, surfing the internet and maybe catch a movie marathon. "Um," she faltered, trying to come up with a lie so that he'd leave her alone. She wasn't interested in have a friendly lunch with a guy she was pretty sure was a pervert. She could give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he didn't sleep with all the women she'd seen him with. But just because she was shy didn't mean she was naïve or ignorant. So that meant he probably just wanted an introduction to Naomi. It was what most guys wanted.

"I-I've got a thing…so-so, I can't today. But thanks for the invite. You really, really don't have to pay me back."

He frowned and tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy. "Okay. Maybe we can do it some other time."

Never, she thought. But she gave him a false smile. "Sure." When he still didn't seem to take the hint and get out, she said, "Well, I need to do a bit of cleaning up before…my thing."

"Yeah, sure." He held up the dishwasher detergent. "Thanks again."

"Anytime," she said, not meaning it for a second. Hopefully this would be the last time he invaded her personal space. If he wanted to hook up with Naomi, he'd do it without any assistance from her. Besides Naomi had a man. She and Jimmy were all but engaged.

JoJo sighed in relief as she locked the door behind him. That would teach her to open the door without checking the peephole first. Then she grimaced. Now she'd have to go out so that he wouldn't know she'd lied about having a "thing." Well, she'd better get showered and changed for her pretend errand. This is what came of befriending neighbors, she thought grumpily.

* * *

Seth frowned at JoJo's closed door in confusion. What the fuck had just happened in there? Had he just been…rejected? That wasn't possible. That hadn't happened to him since his voice changed. Women loved him. He wasn't vain, but he knew he was handsome. Hell, the word gorgeous was often bandied about when discussing his looks. Yet JoJo had acted as though she couldn't wait to be rid of him. Which was odd since he could've sworn she'd been checking him out. He'd even seen her gaze drop to his dick.

Almost in a daze, he'd wandered back to his apartment before boredom got to him. He just barely remembered to start the dishwasher before he headed out again with no destination in mind. He couldn't stop himself from glancing in the direction of JoJo's place again. Not that there was anything to see. After stopping for breakfast, he found himself walking through the doors of Lillian's Bookstore. Lillian, his mother, stood behind the counter waiting on a customer and her child. He waved to her as he walked by. There was a nook in the back with comfy couches where people could go to read. Since it was early, there were relatively few customers in the store.

His parents had opened the bookstore when they were first married. Technically, his parents were retired. They'd transferred ownership over to him and his older brother AJ two years ago. But they still liked to come in and work on the weekends. Since neither he nor AJ wanted to come in on the weekends that worked out well.

He found his dad lounging on the couch eating a scone and reading the newspaper. Seth dropped down beside him. "Hi, Dad." His father made a big deal out of doing a double take. "Ha, ha."

William Rollins laughed. "What are you doing here on the weekend?"

He shrugged. "Had nothing else to do."

His father's gray eyebrows rose. "Really? What are you doing up this early in the morning?"

"Alexa dropped by."

"How's she doing?"

"She looked good. She broke up with Buddy."

"And another one bites the dust. Though this one lasted longer than most," he said folding his newspaper and setting it aside.

Seth wanted to argue Alexa's case, but his father was only telling the truth. "She's searching for something."

His father grunted. "Well, I hope she finds it. At least she's searching. Your mother and I would like some grandchildren before we're too old to babysit."

"Talk to AJ," he exclaimed with raised brows. AJ and Wendy had been married for five years. It was past time for the two of them to take the pressure off of him.

"Believe me, your mother and I have. At this point, we're more worried about you."

He didn't come here to hear this again. "Any of those scones left?" he asked, hoping to change the subject before his father could go into his spiel on the virtues of love, commitment, and marriage.

"Son, don't you get tired of going home to an empty apartment? Don't you want someone to share your life with? Someone to support you when-"

Seth groaned and roughly ran his fingers through his hair. "Please, Dad, don't do this to me."

His mother joined them. She kissed Seth's cheek and then dropped down next to him on the sofa. "Hi, baby. What are you doing to him Bill to get him so upset?"

"Mission Grandkids."

"Ah," his mother said with a smile. She rumpled Seth's hair. "For this one, we should call it Mission Marriage. I'd even settle for Mission Girlfriend at this point."

Seth rolled his eyes and stood. "Well, I gotta go."

"But you just got here," his mother complained. "Why did you stop by?"

"Nothing better to do," said his father around a bite of scone. "Alexa's single again." He picked up his newspaper and shook it out.

"Alexa's single?" His mother turned to him with a light in her eyes.

"No, Mom, no. Alexa and I are only friends."

"I married my best friend," she said with a fond look at William. "And the two of you have always been so close."

"She's like a sister to me." This wasn't the first time his parents brought up the possibility of Alexa. He thought they were grasping at straws. Even supposing he was interested, it was unlikely that Alexa would be. Alexa wanted someone special and was always complaining and nitpicking about the men she chose. She actually broke up with one guy because she said he was a mouth-breather and he always had his mouth open in photos. It was true and funny as fuck when she pointed it out. Still, Seth didn't think it was reason enough to dump the poor guy.

If anything was going to happen between him and Alexa, it would have happened years ago. He'd considered it briefly after she came home from college. He'd stayed at home and taken some business courses through a community college while Alexa had attended an all-girls college. He'd been surprised by how lovely she was when she came home. Dean was quick to nip the idea in the bud and Seth was grateful to him for doing so. Following the lead of his dick would have ruined The Three Musketeers forever. In a couple of weeks, he got over his crush or whatever it was when Alexa started dating a banker. Maybe he'd just been missing her while she was at college because the urge to fuck her had disappeared and never returned.

"But she isn't your sister," his mother pointed out in a patient tone like he was slow of learning.

He gave her a wicked grin. "That's true, but little Seth doesn't know that. You want grandchildren, don't you?"

His mother gasped and pretended to be scandalized, but she'd said more embarrassing things to him in the past. He knew way more about his parents still ongoing sex life than he needed to know. His mom believed in open communication with her children. No topic was off limits. Including sex.

"I'll see you guys later," he said. He bent to give his mom a kiss on the cheek.

She patted his cheek. "I love you. I want you to keep something in mind: Alexa is a very attractive girl. She won't be on the market forever. This may be your last chance."

He rolled his eyes. "All right, Mom," he said, just to get away and to end the discussion. He had no intention of pursuing Alexa. If he did, he'd feel forced to commit because he wouldn't be able to break up with her even when he wanted to because of all the pressure, it would be horrible.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Monday morning JoJo settled down at her desk between her co-workers Kevin and Finn. The three of them comprised the IT department for McMahon, Levesque & Helmsley, an up and coming investment firm in Charlotte. She set her hot cup of cinnamon tea down on her desk and turned on her computer. "Morning, guys." She received grunts in return. That was fine with her. She wasn't in the mood for conversation. None of them were Monday morning people. She turned on her computer.

"Amore needs someone to debug his computer again," said Kevin.

"Not it," JoJo replied quickly. Amore's computer was full of viruses because he kept visiting porn sites despite constant warnings from them and HR. Besides, when last she fixed his computer, he'd tried to chat her up. She figured it was some sort of ego trip because she didn't dress up for work. Their offices were kept at a frigid sixty-eight degrees year round so she always wore a bulky sweater over baggy clothes. She didn't wear makeup and she mostly pulled her long hair back into a bun.

Finn sighed replying in his Irish accent. "I'll do it, but if that fucker hits on me again, I'm punching his daylights out."

JoJo choked on a laugh. "He hit on you, too?"

Kevin rolled his eyes. "He flirts with everyone."

She opened up her e-mail. Most of her day consisted of sorting through stupid questions, but that was okay. Some people enjoyed a challenge. Her opinion was that life was strife with enough challenges without her having to seek them out.

At noon her cousin Naomi strolled in, making Finn and Kevin start to stutter and drool. Naomi was her polar opposite. They both had dark brown skin and thick long hair. But while JoJo kept her curly frizzy mess in a bun or a ponytail, Naomi wore it flowing over her shoulders and trailing down her back. She wore fitted little dresses or sleek suits to work.

As annoying as she found her cousin for being so beautiful and nice, she did have her to thank for getting her this job. "Hello, Naomi."

"Hi, JoJo." Her eyes flicked over her clothes with distaste. Naomi loved her cousin but the way she dressed was just atrocious and was always giving her fashion tips. JoJo staunchly ignored them. While Naomi relished being the center of attention, it was JoJo's definition of a nightmare. "I came to see if you wanted to go to lunch with me and Jimmy."

"No, thank you."

"Do you have plans?" Her intimidating gaze swung to Finn and Kevin and just as quickly dismissed them. "You should come. We have some news to share with you."

Great. They probably wanted to announce their engagement. So she nodded. "Let me get my purse and we can go." She might as well get it over with. Her cousin could be a real pain when she wanted something.

Within twenty minutes she found herself situated at booth in an Italian restaurant, picking over her salad and pretending to be happy for Naomi and Jimmy as her cousin took every opportunity to flash her diamond engagement ring to everyone who passed the table making JoJo laugh shaking her head. "I've already told Mom. She insists that you be part of the wedding party." Naomi wrinkled her nose. "But you're going to have to let me handle your hair and makeup."

Jimmy gave her what she supposed he thought was a kind smile, but JoJo saw the grimace knowing if he didn't agree with Naomi he'd hear about it later. "You'd be damn attractive if you let Naomi help you."

JoJo stared at him with a glare until he had the grace to look away. When she'd first been hired by the company, he'd made a special effort to check on her multiple times her first week. He'd even taken her to lunch. Finn and Kevin were certain that he was crushing on her. She'd thought so, too. That is until he started pumping her for information about Naomi. Finally, he'd asked her to set them up. She'd been so humiliated, but she'd hid it well. She'd let Naomi know that he was interested and the rest was history. The two of them had clicked instantly. JoJo didn't know why he hadn't simply asked Naomi out on his own. He'd said it was because if he'd asked and she didn't welcome his advances, it could have been perceived as sexual harassment. This way he knew in advance if she would be receptive.

Turning her attention back to Naomi, she said, "I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Having your hair and makeup done for one day won't kill you," she argued. "And you know Mom will be disappointed if you don't do it. And there will be lots of cute guys there. Jimmy is inviting his friends."

JoJo ignored that. Jimmy was actually handsome himself but his friends were unfortunately not. Jimmy was a bulky, Samoan man of average height. His appeal lay in the way that he kept himself well attired and a smile made women melt. For example, today he wore a three-piece charcoal suit with a purple tie. His mustache and goatee were always neatly trimmed. He had the natural raw animal magnetism like neighbor but in a different way, all she knew that she was definitely not attracted to Jimmy. But her neighbor... damn that man was seriously sexy. Shoving aside thoughts of Seth, she asked, "Have you set a date for the wedding?"

"No." Naomi sipped her water carefully so as not to mess up her super shiny lip gloss. "Do you think you could handle being my maid-of-honor? If you can't, it's okay. It's a lot of work."

JoJo shook her head. No way could she handle that much responsibility and she didn't want to.

"Fine," Naomi continued disappointed. "I'll find something else for you to do. I'll come over to your place after work and we can discuss it."

JoJo resisted the urge to groan. She was dreading this wedding already and they hadn't even set a date.

The conversation had carried over to Jojo's apartment, which was filled with Naomi trying to get her aunt to convince JoJo to be her maid of honor. "While it would be ideal if JoJo were your maid-of-honor, I understand completely if you don't want to do it, JoJo," Aunt Cameron said. Naomi had her phone sitting on JoJo's table between the two of them. Naomi had placed her on speakerphone so that they could all talk at once. JoJo breathed a sigh of relief at her aunt's words. She'd always been more understanding than most of her introverted nature. "But you can still be part of the wedding party. And, of course, we'll both help Naomi with the planning."

JoJo nodded. "Yes, ma'am," she said for benefit of her aunt who could not see her.

"Well, Mom, I have to get going. Jimmy is expecting me."

"All right, baby. Congratulations again. Tell Jimmy I said hi."

"Goodbye, Aunt Cameron."

"Goodbye, JoJo. Love you two."

"Love you, too, Mom." Naomi disconnected the call. Picking up her phone, she stood. Her gaze flashed about her, never landing on any one spot for long, but seeming to find everything in sight distasteful. JoJo was used to it. Nothing she ever did met with Naomi's approval. "Jimmy and I are shopping for a new house. God, I can't wait to get out of my tiny apartment." She opened her clutch and dropped her phone inside. The shiny bag was so small that JoJo doubted that it could hold more than the phone and some keys.

JoJo liked her apartment. There was space enough for her and her possessions. That was all she required. "I'm sure-" A knock sounded at the door.

"Are you expecting company?" Naomi asked with a frown.

"No." She checked the peephole. She shouldn't have been surprised to see Seth there, but somehow she was. She swung the door open.

Grinning, he held up a bag of dishwasher detergent. "Since you wouldn't allow me to take you to lunch, I figured I'd just pay you back."

"You didn't have to buy an entire bag."

"I did. You were a lifesaver." He winked at her before shoving the bag in her hands. "Take these. I haven't given up on taking you out though."

JoJo was speechless. She glanced behind her. Naomi was clearly visible. Her cousin had arranged herself against the counter in sexy effortless sprawl. It didn't mean she was interest in Seth, but her cousin had an insatiable need to enchant every male she came into contact with. Especially if he was attractive. And Seth was exceptionally attractive.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," Seth said.

"You're not interrupting. This is my cousin Naomi. Naomi, this is my neighbor Seth." There, she thought. She'd introduced them. Now he could ask Naomi out and he could leave JoJo out of their mating dance.

Naomi tossed her hair over her shoulder and gave him a wave and turned back to her phone proving that she wasn't really interested in him. JoJo just barely resisted rolling her eyes thinking Naomi was feigning disinterest. "Nice to meet you," Seth said, but then he redirected the full brunt of his attention back upon JoJo. "About that lunch…?"

"Um…" She was so confused and flummoxed that she couldn't come up with a response. Why wasn't he asking out Naomi? She'd provided him with an introduction.

He grinned. "Or we could do dinner if that would be easier. You know, it would be. I could pick you up after work. You get off at five, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"So, we'll say six o'clock?"

She was being steamrolled. She recognized the signs but she was currently unable to stop it. She looked to her cousin for help, but Naomi was looking mischievously between them. JoJo sighed. Sometimes it was best just to get an unpleasant experience over with. Clearly, Seth was not going to be easily deterred. After this, he could move on to the next girl. "Okay."

"Great. I'll see you tomorrow evening."

The door had barely closed behind him before Naomi started in. "While i understand why you would say yes to that man, i already know one thing. He's a player."

"I know."

"Then why are you going out with him?"

"Because the only reason he asked me out is to get information on you. I'll tell him you're engaged and that will be the end of it."

"Oh." This seemed to annoy her for some reason and she smiled. "JoJo seriously you need to work on picking up the obvious, now i'll see you for lunch this week?."

"Of course," JoJo murmured not knowing why she was annoyed with her, opened the door for her cousin.

* * *

 _ **Hey guys my next story is gonna be about Shane McMahon and Naomi, for some reason every time they talk on Smackdown i could see something happening there, there's not but you know your girls' got a wild imagination! would you guys like that pairing? i know super off the wall but thats what i do.**_

 _ **Please review it gives me motivation to continue my stories! let me know if you liked it!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hey sorry it took a couple of days to get this out because i've been planning something big for my 21st birthday!**_

* * *

Chapter 4

Seth was no expert when it came to dating. He'd done it less and less over the years. He usually just picked up women in bars. Still, he could sense something was off with his date with JoJo from the moment he showed up at her apartment. For one thing, she hadn't taken any extra efforts with her appearance. She was naturally beautiful. Nothing could change that. But…damn, shouldn't she have done something special for their date?

Her dress was a large, dark, floaty affair. He imagined that she could swim in it since he was damned certain that the only places it touched her were her shoulders and her hips. She'd been wearing a sweater when he picked her up. Somewhat reluctantly, she'd shed it in his car.

She wore no makeup. That was fine with him. That meant he didn't have to go through a layer of sticky lip goo at the end of the night when they kissed. But she'd also left her hair in a sloppy bun at the back of her head. He wondered what it looked like when it was down. Once again, he tried to be optimistic. This mean she wouldn't mind if he mussed it up when he had her in his bed. And, damn, he wanted her in his bed very badly.

Once they were sitting across from each other in the restaurant booth, she kept bringing up her cousin. At first he'd had to be reminded of who she was. He shrugged off this oddity as well when she explained that she had been raised by her aunt and the cousin was like a sister of sorts.

JoJo was definitely not the type of girl he usually pursued. He didn't know if she could handle what he wanted. If anything, her conservative clothing only increased his interest in finding out what lay beneath. His philosophy was that you couldn't get a yes if you didn't ask the question. So he was going to damn well ask.

Seth watched her twirling spaghetti onto her fork. It suddenly occurred to him that there could be other reasons for JoJo's behavior. She could be seeing someone. After all, he'd lured her out by pretending that this meal was about saying thank you. Or maybe she wasn't interested in him. That was unlikely, but he supposed it was possible. "So, JoJo," he began casually, "I didn't ask…do you have a boyfriend? Are you seeing someone special?"

"No." She shook her head. "But my cousin Naomi just got engaged. I'm sorry." She gave him a sympathetic glance.

He frowned. "What's there to be sorry about? Isn't that something to be happy about? Or do you not like the guy she's marrying?"

JoJo's eyes widened. "He's great, but…I just thought you'd be disappointed."

"Why would I be disappointed?"

"Because you want to date Naomi."

"Huh?"

"Isn't that why you asked me out? So that you could pump me for information on Naomi?"

He wanted to pump her alright, but her cousin had nothing to do with it. Seth laughed, glad to have finally come to the root of all her unusual behavior. "While your cousin is very pretty, I'm interested in you, JoJo."

He was interested in her. Not Naomi. She'd been peppering the conversation with Naomi's name all night long in an effort to nudge Seth into asking for her cousin's number. The shock caused JoJo to drop her forkful of pasta in her lap. She felt her face going hot with embarrassment. Of course she'd do something terribly gauche the moment he announced that he was attracted to her. "Oh!" She plucked the fork out of her lap and used her napkin to clean sauce and noodles off her dress. Fortunately, the material was black with a floral pattern. The stain would only show if it was held up to the light.

But what the hell? He was interested in her. JoJo knew she wasn't ugly. She attracted men occasionally. Unfortunately, they weren't usually as hot as Seth. No, her usual suitors were men who saw her boobs and thought that her IQ was lower than her bra size. So they weren't that smart themselves. Or she got the old lechers who just wanted a young woman they could mold into the perfect, meek subservient wife. She was shy when she met new people, but she wasn't an idiot and she definitely wasn't a pushover.

Still uncertain, wanting to clarify, she asked, "What do you mean? Um, do you have a computer you need me to fix?" Because that had happened before as well. People found out she worked in IT and the next thing she knew, she was repairing their PCs.

Seth leaned forward, the pupils of his brown eyes dilated. "No, JoJo. My laptop is fine."

She could barely hold his intense gaze. "You want to date me?"

"I'll be honest with you. I don't date. What I'd like to do is give you so much pleasure, that you scream my name."

"Oh," she said unable the keep the disappointment out of her voice as understanding dawned. She slumped in her seat. Somehow she'd been perceived as a challenge to this manwhore and accordingly, he'd decided to pick up the gauntlet. For a moment there, she'd been getting excited. His words brought her back to reality. Dating him wouldn't have worked anyway. She recalled the way he was always eyeing her even when he had another woman on his arm. She would hate having him do that to her if they were dating.

"What does that 'oh' mean?"

She wiped her mouth with her napkin and placed it on the table. "It means that it's late and I have to be up early for work in the morning. Thank you for dinner. It was delicious."

His eyes flicked down to her plate of half eaten food before focusing on her face again. "That doesn't exactly answer my question. Should we go back to my place? Or yours?"

She gave him a tight smile. "How about you go back to yours and I go back to mine?"

"So you're turning me down?"

JoJo's hands curled into fists. The more she thought about it, the more insulted she was. "Are you offering me something?"

His eyes glittered between narrowed eyelids. "I want you, JoJo, very badly."

Her breath caught. That shouldn't have affected her. Yet it did. Little flutters of pleasure took flight in her belly. As calmly as she could, she said, "We have different goals. And…" She looked down at her hands. "I don't take physical relations lightly."

"Physical relations? Do you mean sex?"

"Don't be obtuse," she snapped.

"JoJo, do you like sex?"

"That's none of your business."

"Because I really like sex and I think you'll really enjoy the things I want to do to you."

JoJo swallowed. He could really turn up the sexual magnetism. "I'm not interested."

A wolfish smile curled his lips. "I think you are."

"W-well, whether I am or not, m-my answer is no."

His smile didn't falter as he asked, "Did you want a doggie bag for that?" He indicated her plate of food.

She shook her head. "No, thank you."

"Then we should go." He caught their waiter's eye and settled their bill in short order. JoJo expected him to try to persuade her to have sex with him but he said nothing. He slid out of the booth and waited for her. He took her elbow lightly and escorted her out of the restaurant.

The short ride back to their apartment was really tense. For her. Seth was completely at ease, humming along with the music on the radio and drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. They rode the elevator in silence, standing side by side, Seth's arm brushing against her shoulder. The elevator was crowded because of two men taking their bikes up. JoJo was glad when they were able to get off because it meant the end of the evening was in sight. Since they lived on the same floor, she was unable to avoid having him walk her to her door. "Thanks again for d-dinner," she said, stuttering when she noted how closely he stood behind her. She cleared her throat. "Well, I guess I'll see you around."

"You're not going to invite me in?" he asked with a smirk.

Her eyes flickered over him. Up close, she realized what a big man he was. She was average height and her head just reached his chin. She wasn't worried he would attack her. He didn't give off that vibe. Even now, she thought he might be teasing her.

"Seth-"

He interrupted her with a kiss to her forehead. "Goodnight, JoJo. Be sure to lock up." He crossed the hall to his own door and pulled out his keys. When she just stood there watching him, he gestured for her to hurry up. "Go on so I can say that I saw you safely home."

Nodding, she unlocked her door. She gave him a brief wave and locked the door behind herself. "Well, that was interesting," she whispered. Then she sighed. It never would have worked out, but sometimes her life was so dull. She usually liked it that way, but once in awhile…she craved some excitement.

However, she didn't need that type of excitement. Now that she'd turned him down, he would leave her alone and stop staring at her whenever their paths happened to cross. She told herself that was for the best and she would not miss being ogled by that playboy in the least.

* * *

 **Please review my lovelies im very sad you guys haven't reviewed**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

The bouquet of pale pink tulips arrived just before lunch. The last time she'd gotten flowers was the night she'd gone to the prom. JoJo touched one of the soft blooms with a fingertip. They were exquisite. The gesture was probably meaningless to Seth, but she couldn't deny that a little kernel of joy unfurled in her heart.

She plucked the small white envelope from its plastic holder. The outside said "From: Seth, To: JoJo" She opened it and pulled out the card. Can we still be friends? Call me. – S. His phone number followed.

While she wasn't certain about being friends, she did want to thank him for the flowers. Just as she picked up her cell, Naomi strolled into the office she shared with Finn and Kevin. Finn had left early for a doctor's appointment and Kevin was out exchanging a broken monitor for a new one. Naomi paused upon seeing the flowers. "These are cute. Who sent them?"

"Seth sent them."

"Oh. So you decided to go out with him after all?"

"Yes." She didn't bother correcting Naomi. She would never tell her that all he really wanted was to proposition her for sex.

Naomi picked up the card and read it. "Becoming his friend would be unwise. He'd just use you. I've seen it time and time again, Men and women cannot be friends because one of them is bound to fall in love and it ends in disaster."

JoJo made a noncommittal noise. She loved her cousin, but sometimes she could be real traditional,JoJo thought men and women could certainly be friends if they chose to be. Aunt Cameron could never break Naomi out of those traditional gender roles that her father taught her. He'd died a year later of prostate cancer. She tried to be sensitive to her cousin's beliefs that her father taught her, but sometimes it annoyed her that Naomi tried to push them on her. "Is there some reason you wanted to see me?"

"I can't just drop in to say hello? We won't be working together much longer."

"Of course," she said, but she could guess at Naomi's real motives. More than likely, Naomi had seen the flowers arrive and she'd been curious.

Naomi nodded. "Jimmy and I were thinking of throwing an engagement party after my two weeks are up. We'd like it if you'd come."

She hated parties. Naomi knew this. And any party of Naomi and Jimmy's would be full of their friends. They were good friends—just people who were way too chatty and outgoing for her tastes. She wouldn't know anyone there and it was unlikely any of them would be interested in talking to her since she was never interested in a conversation and rarely made an effort to make eye contact. "Um…let me know when it is and I'll try to make it."

Naomi shrugged. "Okay." She examined her nails. "I've gotta go. Jimmy and I are going to lunch." She nudged one of the tulips, causing three of them to sway. "Remember what I said about him."

JoJo wondered which of her many warnings Naomi was referring to, but she refused to ask. She waited until the sound of Naomi's heels had faded away before picking up her cell and calling the number Seth had provided her.

"Hello?" His voice was far deeper than she recalled.

"H-hi, Seth. This is JoJo."

"Ah, JoJo," he purred with such masculine satisfaction that JoJo found herself pressing her knees together to assuage a sudden ache between her thighs.

"Um, I called to thank you for the flowers. They're beautiful."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like them. Have you considered my request?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea." she says uncertainly.

"Why? Because I want to lick your pussy until you're screaming my name and begging me to fuck you?"

JoJo almost dropped her phone. "You can't talk to me like that, Seth. I'm at work."

He chuckled. "So am I."

She'd been surprised when he told her that he was co-owner of a bookstore with his brother. No one would look at Seth and guess that he spent his days surrounded by books. Now if he'd said he owned a bar or a club, she wouldn't have batted an eyelash. "But you're your own boss," she pointed out.

"True, but back to the topic, why can't we be friends? And I'm demanding a good reason. My wanting to fuck you is my problem, not yours. I'm not an animal. I won't jump you."

JoJo waffled. It wasn't like she had so many friends that she could spurn offers of friendship. Besides, she could always cut him off if he tried to cross the line of propriety. "Okay. What does being your friend entail?"

"Nothing too trying—some hanging out, the occasional meal. In fact, what are you doing tonight? I'll cook for you."

"You know how to cook?" This she found unbelievable. Over the course of the six months that they'd been neighbors, she'd seen him receive takeout as often as she.

"I can cook, but I'll pick up something. My fridge is empty."

JoJo squeezed her eyes closed and took a deep breath. "Okay," she said before she could change her mind. Once she committed to something, she would go through with it. So she never said yes lightly.

"Great. I'll see you around six?"

"Okay," she agreed but Seth could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

"Until then," he said and ended the call before she could change her mind. He was really looking forward to tonight. A grin stretched his lips.

"Good news?" AJ asked.

"What?" He glanced over at his brother.

AJ placed a cardboard box on the countertop. He opened a few drawers before producing scissors and cutting the tape securing the flaps. "You looked like you got some really good news."

Seth shrugged. "Sort of. Just making dinner plans."

"Ah," he said with a wealth of meaning that Seth couldn't miss.

"It's not like that. It's just a friend." At least for now. He'd gladly leap for more if JoJo offered. Something about the shy woman intrigued him. He couldn't seem to shake thoughts of her. Usually when a girl made it plain that her interests did not align with his, he moved on. After all, there were plenty of women out there. But it wasn't just laziness that kept him with Carmella. He was bored with the club. He was tired of picking up women in bars. The mere thought of going to either left him restless and depressed. Things always played out the same way. He could identify a woman who just wanted a wild night or two. And he could also spot trouble. He stayed away from women who were in relationships or looking for a revenge fuck. He didn't need to get his face rearranged over some woman he barely knew.

"Yeah right. Was that Alexa? Are you two finally giving it a go?"

He frowned. Did everyone in his family think that there was something going on between him and Alexa? "No."

AJ had been unpacking books. He paused and his brows rose. "Something going on between you and Dean I should know about?"

Seth laughed. "Her name is JoJo."

"I've never heard you mention her before. I thought you said she was a friend."

"She's a new friend."

"Whatever. I love you, bro. You really keep the pressure off me and Wen with your refusal to settle down."

"Well, I've been doing you that favor for years. Think you and Wendy could return it by popping out a grandkid for the parents?"

"We plan to as soon as the situation calms down at Wendy's job."

Seth didn't bother to mention that they'd been saying that same thing for years. Wendy was a defense attorney. There were some jobs that never got easier and life had a way of getting away from a person. They were never going to have kids if they waited for her to have a lull in her workload. Seth was more of a "seize the day" sort of person. And he'd done plenty of seizing in his time.

A customer approached to check out, interrupting his conversation with his brother. Seth was fine with that. He and AJ had an unstated agreement of sorts. They didn't pry into the other's personal affairs. If they needed help, then they had to ask for it.

At the end of the day, Seth was anxious to leave. He'd called in an order of Chinese food at the restaurant JoJo patronized. He'd seen her with their carryout bags on multiple occasions. But he didn't know what she would like so he purchased a variety of items. He only hoped that she would like something that he'd bought. On a whim, he stopped and got a bottle of wine. JoJo didn't look like the beer type and that's all he had in his fridge aside from water.

He had just enough time to put the wine in the refrigerator to chill and lay out the food before JoJo knocked on the door. She was a punctual little thing, he noted. Of course, she didn't have far to travel. "JoJo," he said, grinning down at her. She was so lovely. He wondered why she was so determined to hide it. She wore dress that had to be two, possibly three sizes too large, and the oversized sweater he'd seen her wearing in her apartment. "Should I take your sweater or would you like me to lower the temperature in here?" he asked, closing the door behind her.

"Um…." She tugged at one sleeve. "I-I guess you can take it." She shrugged it off slowly as though reluctant to part with it.

Seth hung it in his coat closet and then led her to the kitchen. "I didn't know what you liked so-"

"This looks like a buffet," she exclaimed, her dark brown eyes widening as she took in the food containers stretching from one end of his countertop to the other. "You could have just called me and asked."

He laughed. "And ruin the surprise? No way." He reached into a cabinet and pulled down a couple of plates. He handed one to JoJo. He'd already taken out serving spoons. "I hope you don't mind serving yourself."

She shook her head.

"Good. Dig in. Take as much as you like since I tend to forget leftovers." While he filled his plate with a little of every dish, JoJo only chose the fried rice and lo mein. "I've got wine in the fridge."

"I don't drink."

"Then I've got water. Any reason you don't drink?" he asked and then wished he could recall the question. She could be an alcoholic and he'd just brought up a sensitive subject. She was already as skittish as hell around him. The last thing he needed was to offend her as well.

She gave him a timid smile. "I'm afraid of what I might say or…do."

He grinned and immediately fought the devilish urge to get her drunk. "Ah, you're a control freak."

She shrugged. "Maybe."

Once they had finished filling their plates and he got a bottle of water for her and a beer for himself, they sat at the table. "So how was your day?"

"Fine. Aside from replacing the CD drive on a computer, it was nothing out of the ordinary. How was your day?"

"Filled with books, books, and more books."

She shook her head. "I find that incredible."

"That I know how to read?"

JoJo rolled her eyes. "You don't exactly fit my idea of a bookstore owner."

"I don't have to read the books to sell them," he teased. He did love to read. His parents had made sure of that when he was a kid. During slow periods at the store, he'd find a quiet spot and read. Sometimes he kept a book behind the counter.

"I saw the bookshelf in your den."

He laughed. "So you caught me."

"When do you find the time with…um…your other activities?" She filled her mouth with noodles.

Seth grinned. He speared a piece of broccoli with his fork. "You mean my whoring around?"

JoJo coughed. "I didn't mean— I wouldn't have put it that way."

"That's the way everyone else puts it." He sighed. "I read in my spare time at work. And I am a single guy so that leaves me with lots of alone time at home—despite the whoring. That usually just takes up my weekends."

"Before we go any further with this…I need to know you're serious about being friends—that this isn't some lame attempt to get me into your bed."

"I'm not going to lie to you. I do want to be your friend. But if you were ever to decide you wanted more, my pants would be around my ankles so fast."

Seth was too gorgeous for his own good, JoJo thought. What was worse was that he knew it. He wasn't conceited or arrogant, which would have been a turn off. But he was definitely aware of his appeal and it gave him an irresistible charm and confidence. Saying no to him was difficult. So after dinner when she wanted to leave, he somehow convinced her to stay and watch a marathon of Chopped with him. This led to them betting on who would be chopped from each round.

"He's definitely winning this round," Seth said. "He made risotto."

JoJo disagreed. She'd never had risotto, but she'd watched enough episodes of Chopped to know how this would go. "Guaranteed it's crunchy. It takes longer than that to make risotto. It's an unnecessary risk since it doesn't even incorporate any of the mandatory ingredients. He's going to get eliminated."

"But his dish was the most creative."

"Yes, but as you know, you can't just throw art onto a plate. It has to be edible as well."

He grinned at her. His bright eyes danced with devilry and before he even spoke, she knew she wasn't going to like what he had to say. "If I'm right, you have to kiss me."

She inhaled sharply. "Seth!"

He held up a broad palm. "And if you're right, I have to kiss you."

She rolled her eyes at the ridiculous wager. "Winner buys the next dinner," she countered.

"If you want to go with the boring, safe bet…."

"Yes, I do."

He grumbled, but quieted down so that they could hear the judge's' comments about each of the contestants' dishes. They had to wait until after the commercial break to hear the judge's' decision. "Bathroom break," Seth said. "Do you want anything while I'm up?"

"No, I'm fine." While he was gone, it gave her more of an opportunity to look around his den. The layout of his apartment was different from hers. Upon entering her door, you were in her tiny kitchen. On this side of the building, you entered the den first and the kitchen was at the back. Seth's apartment was surprisingly neat and organized. His books were arranged by height on his bookshelf. A row of shiny silver framed photos lined the top. A stack of coasters sat on one end of his coffee table. He'd set his beer bottle on one when they moved to the den area and then tossed the bottle as soon as it was empty. He didn't leave dirty dishes, trash, or clothing strung about.

The commercial break was just ending as Seth plopped down beside her on the sofa. He groaned when the chef who'd made the risotto was sent home. "You've seen this before," he accused.

JoJo laughed. "I've seen the show before but not this specific episode."

"You're beautiful when you laugh. Well, you're beautiful anyway, but even more so when your face lights up like that."

JoJo bit her lip. "Thank you."

His eyes flicked over her from head to toe. "Why do you dress the way you do? Why try to hide how beautiful you are?"

"I-I'm not hiding," she lied because in a way she was.

"Bullshit. Do your clothes even graze your body when you're standing?"

JoJo dried her suddenly wet palms on her dress, effectively tugging it down and away from her body. She debated how much to tell him. He claimed to want to be a friend, but that didn't earn him the immediate right to her trust. But it wasn't like it was some huge secret. "I-I like my clothing this way. It's more comfortable. B-but also…I don't like drawing attention to myself. I don't get a lot of attention this way." Her eyes met his. "Except from you."

He grinned. "Good to know that I don't have any competition."

She rolled her eyes. "I should go. It's getting late."

"Don't you want to know who's going to win?"

"Okay, but this is the last one and then I'm leaving. I've got work tomorrow."

"Me, too, but I'm a night owl by nature." Seth leaned back and put his arm on the back of the sofa behind her head. "So who do you think will win this round?"

"Whoever makes ice cream and doesn't over churn it."

He laughed. "How many episodes of this show have you seen?"

She shrugged and smiled. "Maybe a few seasons."

"Does that mean you can cook?"

JoJo laughed. "Would you really want me to make any of the strange concoctions they produce on this show?"

He shuddered. "I could do without the Rocky Mountain oysters, thank you, but I've picked up a few basics here and there."

"I can cook, but I usually don't since it's just me. Chinese food usually lasts a few days. Pizza is an entire week worth of dinners."

Seth grinned. "Well, now we can share our culinary masterpieces. I'll cook for you first since I lost the bet. Say Monday night? By then we should both be out of leftovers."

"Sure," she agreed, beginning to get excited about having someone to share her evenings with. She was already planning her dinner menu. "And I'll do Tuesday."

"Deal." He held out his hand for her to shake. His warm palm engulfed her smaller hand and his glowing eyes locked on hers. His eyes were a light shade of brown. JoJo found it difficult to look away especially when his irises darkened and his pupils enlarged. His thick lashes lowered as his gaze dropped to her mouth.

Suddenly, Seth was much too close, so close that she could feel his breath on her lips. Realizing what was about to happen, JoJo practically threw his hand back at him and jumped up. She glanced at the television. The winner was pumping her fists in triumph. JoJo cleared her throat. "Um, well, I'd…I'd better go."

Seth ran a hand over his mouth. Five o'clock shadow darkened his square jaw. "Okay." Grimacing a bit, he stood much slower than she had and walked her to the door. "I had a lovely evening with you, JoJo."

She couldn't meet his gaze. "I enjoyed it, too. Thank you for dinner."

"JoJo?"

"Yes?"

"Look at me." He raised her face with a finger under her chin. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I'm never going to do anything you don't want me to do." And then he kissed her cheek so that the corners of their mouths touched and she had to suppress a groan because she wanted so much more. She wanted to feel the full impact of his soft lips. But it was best this way. The man could prove addictive and the last thing she needed was to fall for a man who had no intention of making a lasting commitment. Then she'd have to break her lease because there was no way she'd be able to bear watching him bring home other women. She just needed to keep her head on straight and keep Seth strictly in the friend zone.

* * *

 _ **Hey Guys thinks for reviewing that last chapter it really means a lot i'm glad you're liking my stories! before i stopped writing in 2014 i had no motivation and my stories weren't that good editing and story wise, but i took a few writing classes in college and it did wonders. As long as you guys still read and review my stories im great with churning them out every day or every other day.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

Seth held his second beer and tried to convince himself not to pull out his phone again to check the time. He was bored out of his mind, running his hands through his brown locks. Though he didn't have anything lined up for tonight, he hadn't wanted to come out. He was only twenty-nine and he was both clubbed out and tired of picking up women in bars. It was just so much of the same over and over. He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when his feelings about clubbing had changed. The escapades that he'd found so necessary previously left him feeling dissatisfied and empty of late.

On the barstool next to him, Alexa chatted with a guy in a suit who'd bought her a drink. She wore a barely there silver dress that had shocked him when she showed up at his door. He'd never seen her wear anything so revealing before. But she explained to him that that was the purpose of the night. She was going to find a replacement for Buddy. At first, he'd been surprised that she'd changed her mind about trying to find someone new when she'd claimed to want to take some time for self-exploration or some shit. As a supportive friend, he couldn't say no when she asked him to come out with her. He was tagging along as her wingman and hey, if he could pick up someone, then it would be worth all the trouble.

Only he wasn't interested in picking anyone up. He wasn't up to running his usual game of scanning the bar for the type of woman who'd be interested in a casual hook-up. All he could think about was JoJo and her big brown eyes and soft, cinnamon skin. The girl had him tied up in knots. He wanted to know what she hid under those baggy clothes. It was sad that he was jerking off in the shower to just the idea of kissing her.

He didn't understand the nature of his obsession. For no particular reason, she'd been on his radar since she moved into their apartment building. And she clearly wasn't going to agree to no strings sex. He couldn't give her what she wanted. They were at an impasse.

Seth took another sip of his beer. Dean was right. It was a stupid idea to fuck his neighbor. It was better this way—them remaining friends. Now if he could just convince his dick to agree.

"Hey, I think the brunette at the end of the bar is checking you out."

Seth glanced over to see that Alexa was alone again. He'd come out at her insistence. Dean and Renee were so wrapped up in each other it was hard to get the two of them out of the house anymore. And he didn't like the idea of Alexa bar hopping on her own. Seth turned to see which brunette Alexa referred to. He'd noticed her watching him earlier. She fit all of his criteria yet he couldn't summon any enthusiasm at the idea of bedding her.

"What happened with your guy?" he asked, swiveling so that his back was to the woman.

Alexa held up a business card and put it in her purse. "He's here with business associates."

"Does this mean we can leave now?"

Alexa laughed and threw her hair over her shoulder. "But you haven't found anyone."

He arched an eyebrow and said dryly, "You're cock blocking me."

She tilted her head in the brunette's direction. "Evidently not." She put her elbow on the bar and propped her chin on her hand and watched him with interest. "Could it be that you're tired of changing your women like most people change their underwear?"

"Fuck. Not this again? I'm only twenty-nine. Are my parents paying people to say this shit to me?"

Alexa winced. "Sorry."

Seth sighed. He could tell he'd hurt her feelings. "I'm sorry, Alexa. It's just…when I told my parents that you were single again, the next thing they were wondering was if the two of us were going to date. I mean, we've been friends forever. It's the most ridiculous idea, but they can't seem to let it go. I think they're getting desperate to see me settle down."

She gave him a wan smile. "Yeah, it's just crazy, right?" She picked up her wineglass and gulped down the rest of the contents. "Ready to go?"

"Sure." He waved over the bartender and settled their tab. "Are you coming back to my place or do you want to go home?"

"Depends. Do you have food?"

"Leftover Chinese," he said.

Alexa nodded. "That'll do. It's better than what I have. Some ketchup packets and salt."

He slid off his stool. "That it?"

"Maybe some baking soda."

* * *

Seth couldn't help glancing at JoJo's door as he let Alexa into his apartment. He wondered what she was up to tonight. It was Friday. Did that mean she'd gone out for more Chinese food or did she go for something different since they'd had it earlier this week? He'd offered her some of his leftovers, but she'd declined.

"Are you coming in or what?" Alexa asked. "What are you staring at?"

"Nothing." He closed and locked his door. He led her to the kitchen. Gesturing toward the fridge, he said, "Help yourself." He sat down at the kitchen table and propped his feet on one of the other chairs.

"You're not having any?" she asked.

"No, I'm good. I ate earlier." He watched her move around for a bit. She knew where he kept everything. She still hadn't told him exactly why she ended her relationship with Buddy, but Seth wouldn't push her. Alexa wasn't one of those women who wanted to talk about every passing emotion. If anything, she might be too closed off. As a guy who wasn't into talking about his feelings, she was a perfect friend. Deep down, he knew if he ever wanted to talk though, she'd be there for him. However, he liked keeping things light. Maybe that was why he avoided romantic entanglements. He hated drama.

"So what was wrong with the brunette tonight? What weird vibe did she set off on your radar?"

Alexa referred to his ability to decipher a woman's motives with a little careful observation. He could usually spot if a woman was out for a good time or if she was in search of a wedding ring before he'd even approached her. If he still wasn't sure from watching her, he usually could tell within a few minutes of conversation. "There was nothing wrong with her." He shrugged. "I just wasn't in the mood."

Alexa sputtered. "What? The great Seth Rollins—not in the mood for sex! The world has gone crazy."

He laughed. "I didn't say I wasn't in the mood for sex. I don't know. I…" Damn. He wanted JoJo to such an extent that he wouldn't be satisfied with a substitute. After only two dinners with JoJo, he was more infatuated with her than ever.

Alexa smiled at him as she settled across from him at the table. "Why can't you admit it? You were uncomfortable all night. You've outgrown your love of quick hook-ups. Join the rest of us on the dark side and get into a relationship."

Seth rolled his eyes, but he said, "Don't you think that would be an incredible risk for the woman to be with me? I haven't dated anyone seriously since the year I went steady with Jennifer East in eighth grade. I mean, what if I felt…trapped and I wanted out?"

"Are you seriously considering being in a relationship?"

Shit, he was. Maybe he should have picked up that brunette. A week without sex and his thinking was muddled. But he'd be damned if he admitted what he was thinking to Alexa. If word got out that he was interested in dating someone exclusively, his parents would be ordering wedding invitations. "How did we get back on me? How about you? Did you like…what was his name?"

Alexa fluffed her rice with a fork. "Don't laugh."

"Why would I laugh?"

"His name is Alex."

Seth smirked. "Well, at least you won't forget his name."

"Ha, ha. Other than that, he seemed nice. But I don't know if I can deal with the similar name thing. It's just too cute."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Already envisioning the headache of sorting your mail after you take his last name?" He loved Alexa, but she was the type of woman he avoided in a club. She already had her dress picked out and the wedding details planned. All she needed was the groom. Only no man ever seemed to fit into the mold she'd created.

She glared at him. "No." She paused for a minute. "What did you think of him?"

His brows rose. "Me? I didn't talk to the guy. Why do you ask?"

"I'm beginning to question my judgement when it comes to men. I was thinking that maybe what I needed was a guy's perspective. You could use your radar on him and help me sort him out."

"That only works on women. I don't scope dudes."

"I still think you should meet him. Guys will talk more honestly with other guys. You'd know quicker than I would if he was a jerk."

That was probably true. "Dean and Renee are having a party next weekend. Why don't you invite him? I can try to talk to him there without him getting too suspicious."

"Thanks, Seth." She hopped up from her seat and hugged him. "You're the greatest."

He returned her hug, surprised and pleased by her sudden show of affection. "Yeah, yeah, don't thank me yet." She seemed really happy to have his help and he was glad. Seeing her sad and depressed over the breakup with Buddy hadn't been easy. She must have really liked this guy despite her claim that she didn't love him.

"Time for a haircut," she murmured, tangling her fingers in the long hair at his nape.

"I'll do it tomorrow." He snagged her hand and pulled it away from his head. She knew his hair was off limits. It took a lot of styling products to calm that shit down while keeping it touchable. He had really thick hair. And the longer it got, the harder it was for him to manage. There were only two times when he let someone touch his hair: when it was being cut and when he was fucking. Both situations were unavoidable. He liked his hair longer. And when he was with a woman he preferred they pull his hair to scratching his back. It certainly hurt less and at least the pain was temporary.

Alexa took her seat and took a long drink of water. "I noticed wine in your fridge. What's that about?"

"I got it to go with dinner. So what does this Alex do for a living?"

"He's an executive producer at one of the local television stations."

"Cool."

"When did you develop a taste for wine?"

He dropped his foot off the chair and stood. "Earlier this week. You can take it if you want. I don't need it." He opened the refrigerator and took out the bottle of wine and handed it to her.

Alexa grinned as she took it. "It's my favorite."

He shrugged. He'd thought the bottle looked familiar when he'd picked it up. "You're welcome."

Alexa finished eating and Seth helped her clean up. She yawned and stretched. "I'd better go before I fall asleep. Thanks for coming out with me tonight."

"Not a problem." He put the wine bottle in a bag and gave it to her. He walked her to the door, thrilled that he'd had a hand in making her happy. He couldn't keep his gaze from straying to JoJo's apartment once more. They'd exchanged a few texts yesterday, but he hadn't seen her since their Chopped marathon.

Alexa smiled and waved at him from the elevator and he went back into his apartment. He brushed his teeth then undressed and got into bed. He closed his eyes. An image of JoJo smiling flitted into his mind, making his chest feel tight. He rubbed the heel of his palm against his breastbone.

He couldn't believe he was seriously considering giving up his freedom for one woman. The thought of change made him feel anxious and restless. Was JoJo even worth it? He didn't think he was fixated on her because of the challenge she presented. He wasn't the sort who went about seeking challenges to make his life more interesting. It didn't take much to make him happy. But once he had her would he want to keep her? He couldn't bear the thought of hurting her.

"This is crazy," Seth groaned, resolving to do nothing for now. It wasn't like he had to make a decision right away.

* * *

 _ **I know, Sorry this is a filler chapter, some good stuff will come in the next couple of chapters so stay tuned! Also since this is a filler chapter i might upload another chapter later in the night but you guys gotta tell me what you think of this chapter!**_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

JoJo jerked upright in bed at the sudden pounding on her door. "What the hell?" Her head felt fuzzy and full of cotton. She'd stayed up late last night. After torturing herself with obsessive thoughts of what Seth might be doing—or more accurately who he might be doing—she'd decide to distract herself by watching a movie. She chose It Follows. Not a smart decision. Women living alone should not watch horror movies. After watching the movie, she'd spent most of the night jumping at innocuous noises. She'd had to turn off her ice maker. Ice dropping in the middle of the night was seriously noisy!

Eyes barely open, she whipped the covers back and slid to the floor. Her long oversized cotton nightgown twisted around her ankles and she almost fell with her first step. She managed to catch the tall bedpost and keep herself upright.

Her robe was draped over the end of the bed and she snatched it up and headed for the door as someone began knocking again. She shrugged on her robe before looking through the peephole. Her heartbeat sped up even more when she spotted Seth.

She smoothed a hand over her hair though she thought the effort was wasted. She'd parted it down the middle last night and plaited it into two braids. With her old fashioned gown and her hair, she imagined she resembled someone's grandmother.

"I brought you breakfast," Seth said, sliding past her and entering her apartment. He held up a bag from McDonald's.

JoJo blinked as he began unloading food onto her table. She moved closer to see what he'd bought. She wasn't a fan of fast food for breakfast, but she wouldn't complain about not having to cook when she was still so exhausted from a poor night's rest. "Why are you here so early?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"So that means I shouldn't sleep either?"

His gaze travelled over her. "Were you still in bed?"

"Yes."

He grabbed the tip of one of her braids and tugged. "Your hair is really long."

Her hair fell well past her had inherited their long hair from their great grandmother who was dominican, although naomi had way longer and darker hair. "And you got a haircut," she noted. More of a trim really. His hair was still the same length that went past his ears to the whole length of his long neck. Then she squeaked as he wrapped her braid around his broad palm and pulled her close. "W-what are you doing?"

"Damn, JoJo, I know I said I would be your friend, but I can't do it. You make me so fucking horny." She shivered at the desire in his voice and he smiled. "And you want me, too, don't you?" Before she could protest, he had his arm wrapped around her reeling her in until she was pressed against the hard wall of his chest.

JoJo spread her fingers out and pushed back. "We agreed this wouldn't work. We don't want the same things."

"And if I give you what you want?"

She shook her head. "You can't."

His face twisted with some undefinable emotion. "I think I'd like to try."

He brushed his lips over hers and she trembled at the sensation, but she turned her head when he would have kissed her again. She wanted more of his kisses, but she knew it wasn't wise. She was not going to be his experiment. At best, he would quickly grow bored with the idea of commitment. At worst, he could be lying to her to get what he wanted. She hated to think that the latter could be true, but it wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

"Please, JoJo," he whispered, his lips caressing the sensitive skin behind her ear. "We could be so good together."

"Y-you said you'd never do anything I didn't want you to do."

"Oh, you'll want me to do it." He trailed kisses down her neck until he found a spot that made her breath catch. Then he paused there, nibbling, kissing, and sucking. Her hands fisted the cotton of his t-shirt as her knees grew weak and wobbly. She could easily imagine his mouth on more intimate parts of her body, suckling her nipples, coursing over her stomach, sliding between her thighs.

With a moan, JoJo wrenched herself from his arms. That was it! She was going to quit reading erotica today! "Seth, are you saying you want to date me?"

He sucked in a deep breath. His eyelids were heavy and his irises were darkened with desire. "Yes."

"But you don't date."

He ran a hand briskly over his hair. "I don't want anyone but you, JoJo. You're all I think about."

She blinked in surprise. This was too much to take in this early in the morning. She hugged her robe around herself. "I-I'm not conscious enough for this conversation. I need a shower." And to brush her teeth. She couldn't believe she'd let him kiss her before she'd brushed her teeth!

"Go ahead. I'll wait right here."

She nodded and swiftly made her way to her bathroom. She brushed her teeth and then quickly stripped. She stuffed her braids under a shower cap to keep them dry. Under the revitalizing spray of the shower and away from the seductive influence of Seth, JoJo decided that she really only had one choice. The smart decision was to say no. He seemed like a nice guy, but she didn't know him that well. Two dinners wasn't enough to judge him by.

She dried off and dressed hurriedly before she lost her resolve.

Seth was sitting at her kitchen table sipping orange juice and running his thumb over his phone's screen. He stopped when she walked into the room. Straightening up, he cleared his throat.

Joining him at the table, she took a deep breath. She tried holding his gaze, but found she couldn't. She didn't like delivering bad news. And, damn, he was too gorgeous. The overhead light picked up bronze tones in the thick, dark waves of his hair. "Seth, I-"

"At least think about it," Seth interrupted as though he knew exactly what she was going to say. "JoJo, look at me." He leaned across the table and took her hands in his. "I know I'm asking you to take a risk and that's not something you're not comfortable doing. I can promise you that I will be completely honest with you. I want to do this with you."

"Seth, I'm not the type of girl who can deal with being on your arm while you use your x-ray vision to mentally undress another woman."

His fingers tightened over hers. "I wouldn't do that to you. The only reason I watched you that way was because I couldn't not look at you."

"But I thought we both agreed that this was a bad idea. I'm just a boring ordinary girl. I spend most of my nights alone, watching television or playing computer games. I've never been in a club or a bar. I can't dance. I don't know any fancy sex tricks-"

Seth burst out laughing. "Don't worry about that, sweetheart. I'm sure you will satisfy me just fine."

JoJo rolled her eyes. "You know that if I do agree to date you, it doesn't mean we're going to have sex right away?"

He grimaced. "How long will you make me wait?"

She should be concerned about his attitude. Instead, she found herself seriously turned on at the knowledge that he wanted her so badly. "I haven't even decided if I will date you yet."

Growling softly, he laced his fingers with hers slowly until the two of them were as close as they could get with the table separating them. JoJo had always felt that she had average sized hands with rather long fingers. Seth's hands dwarfed hers. "Oh, JoJo," he rasped, "you definitely want to date me. I'd say you want to date the hell out of me."

She swallowed. From his tone she knew he wasn't talking about taking walks in the park or going out dancing. But before she could think of anything to say, he kissed her fingers and pulled back.

"We'd better eat this before it needs to be reheated." He gave her a breakfast sandwich and chose one for himself. He pushed a juice at her as well. "I remembered that you didn't like coffee. And as for the other stuff, clubbing and bars, you haven't missed much. If you want to go to one, I'll take you, but otherwise, I'm clubbed out." He unwrapped his biscuit and bit into it.

JoJo shook up her juice and opened it. "Seth…I'm…shy," she said at last, thinking that he needed to know what he was getting into.

"You say that like you're confessing a crime."

"Well, people think you'll get over it or if they continually push you into social situations that you'll change. Things that you don't think about are hard for me. I have to psych myself up for social interactions." She toyed with the wrapper of her biscuit. She needed to make him understand that she wasn't anything like the bubbly, outgoing girls he usually brought home. "I-I will never be the life of the party and I…I don't own any cropped tops or even a single pair of shorts."

"You don't own shorts?"

"No. I've just never felt comfortable in them in public. I feel naked."

"JoJo, I don't care about any of that stuff. Well, except the shorts. Maybe you could get a pair to wear at home."

She could see that he was going to refute every argument that she presented. So finally she said, "Okay, I'll think about it."

He nodded. "That's all I ask."

* * *

"Two Saturdays in a row! To what do we owe this honor?"

"Hi, Dad," Seth said as he joined his father behind the counter. After his breakfast with JoJo, he felt he could use some advice. Since he hadn't tried to keep a woman around longer than a couple of days since eighth grade, he figured he was going to need all the help he could get. He was certain that she liked him, but convincing her to take a chance on him was not going to be easy.

He couldn't believe some of the excuses that she had given him. Like he couldn't tell that she was shy! He knew she was different and he found that intriguing. "Where's Mom?"

"Abandoned me to go off shopping with her friends." He placed a bookmark in the book he was holding and put it down. "Are you here to work?"

Seth shrugged. And then he sighed. "I wanted your advice."

William's eyebrows rose in exaggerated shock. "Really?" He rubbed his chin. "I think the last time you asked for advice, you were fourteen."

"Good grief. Keep this up and I'll just go ask AJ."

"Just savoring the moment. Must be serious though if you'd consider asking AJ. What can I help you with?"

"How did you convince Mom to date you?"

"Oh, that's easy—lots of begging and pleading."

"Dad," Seth drawled. Why his father persisted in thinking he was funny, he didn't know. "Can you be serious for a second?"

"All right, all right. I asked and she said yes. I won her over with my stunning personality. Why do you ask?"

This wasn't helping at all. His parents were still very much in love and they rarely argued. To hear them tell it, they clicked immediately. Two months after meeting they were engaged. He needed to talk to someone with a different experience.

As though he'd conjured him up, Dean strolled into the store with Renee in tow. Dean did a double take at seeing him behind the counter. Renee waved before disappearing between some bookshelves. "What are you doing here on a Saturday?" Dean asked as he approached.

"I gotta find something to do with my Saturdays since you abandoned me to play with a girl."

Dean glanced over in the direction where Renee had disappeared and grinned. "Like you haven't abandoned me a million times over a pretty girl." Dean nodded at William. "Hi, Mr. Rollins."

"Hi, Dean. Don't believe him. He came to get dating advice from his old man."

"Really? What kind of weekend fling requires advice?"

"Actually, I was thinking you'd be more helpful since Mom and Dad practically got married on their first date." Seth came around the counter. "Come with me." He led Dean to the more secluded seating area in the back. Dropping down onto the comfy sofa, he asked, "How did you convince Renee to go out with you? I know she had some reservations about you because, well, you were a player."

Dean joined him on the couch. "I was a mini-player. I did have the occasional girlfriend." He shrugged. "But she was tough on me. I bought her flowers. I picked her up from work when her car wasn't working. I'd send her messages just to say I was thinking about her. I didn't stop asking until she said yes."

All of that sounded doable.

"Don't tell me you're thinking of dating Alexa?"

Seth jerked. "No."

"Good."

"Why?"

Dean arched a brow. "Do you really have to ask? I'd hate to have to kick your ass when you made her cry."

Seth scoffed. Dean was several inches shorter than him and about fifty pounds lighter. "Get serious."

"Besides, I thought you'd gotten over that momentary urge to fuck her."

He laughed. "Yeah, I have. I think I was just getting missing her confused with something more. No, this is about JoJo."

"Ah, the neighbor. I should have guessed since you've been eye-fucking her for months." Dean stood. "Renee's at the counter. I gotta go. Why don't you bring JoJo to the party next weekend?"

"I'll see if I can convince her. She's shy so I don't know if she'll want to come. Oh, and Alexa is bringing some dude she wants me to check out for her. Guess what his name is."

"What is it?"

"Alexa."

Dean shook his head. "How long do you think this one will last?"

Seth stood and walked with his friend back up to the counter where Renee was purchasing a couple of books. "This is a rebound. Probably a week or two. She still hasn't said why she broke up with Buddy."

"Yeah, she hasn't said anything to me either. You know Alexa. She'll tell us when she's ready. Hey, want to come to dinner with me and Renee?"

"Sure." It couldn't hurt to have a woman's opinion.

* * *

JoJo was surprised when Seth showed up at her apartment shortly after dinner. She was also relieved because it meant she didn't have to wonder what he was doing and who he might be with. They lounged on her couch watching nature documentaries. Seth winced as a pride of lions took down another animal. "I can't help but feel sorry for the prey," he said, leaning over so that he rested his head on her shoulder.

She giggled. "I'm on the side of the predators. They've got to eat. And they're so strong and beautiful."

"Who would have thought sweet, little innocent JoJo would be on the side of the bad guy?"

"What? They can't become vegetarians. And if they don't thin prey animals, they would die of starvation because there wouldn't be enough food for them all." She laid her head on top of his so that she could rub her cheek against his hair. He smelled good and so did his hair. Seth linked his fingers with hers. She noticed that he seemed to like to do that. She never would have thought such a simple action could be sexy but with Seth it definitely was. The sight of his thick, large fingers entwined with hers made her think of what it would be like if their limbs were tangled in a passionate embrace.

"Seth, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why don't you date? Did you get your heart broken? Or…something?" She'd been curious. She needed to know what she could be getting herself into. If he was too emotionally scarred to make a commitment, it was better that she know it before she got too attached. She didn't make friends easily so she tended to cling to friendships once they were established.

"No, nothing so noble. I've never been in love. I've never been married or even close to it. My parents and my brother are married and disgustingly happy. I've just never wanted to be tied down. I guess I've never met anyone I wanted to see beyond a few days. What I feel for you, I've never felt before."

"So, you're saying you were…sowing your wild oats?"

Seth turned so that his face was pressing into her neck as he nodded. His breath tickled. "I'm not going to make excuses for it."

"And you're giving that up now? I mean, you're not going to be trolling bars for women while I make up my mind?"

He sat up abruptly. "Hell, no. JoJo, I may not have tried this as an adult, but I'm not a complete relationship moron."

Relieved, she nodded. "Thank you." She wouldn't have demanded he be celibate while she made her decision because she really had no right to do so. But that didn't mean it wouldn't hurt. And if he couldn't keep it in his pants for such a brief period of time, she knew she would never be able to trust him with her heart.

"While you're making up your mind, does that mean we can't kiss? Because I'd really like to kiss you."

Her gaze dropped to his mouth. Good grief, she loved his mouth. It was so full and looked so soft, especially in contrast to the dark stubble shadowing his jaw. She'd barely nodded before Seth was cupping her neck and pulling her into his kiss. JoJo moaned at the sensation of his lips pressing into hers. Unable to resist, she licked his bottom lip before capturing it with her mouth.

Seth pulled back, surprise evident on his face. Then he groaned and his mouth crashed down to cover hers once more. When his tongue teased the seam of her lips seeking entrance, she opened to him. She expected him to simply thrust his tongue inside as had been her previous experience with men. Instead, Seth's exploration was a deliciously languorous affair as though he were savoring every moment. It made her feel precious and appreciated.

JoJo went limp in his arms. He could have done anything he wanted to her in that moment and she wouldn't have resisted. But he kept one hand at her neck while his other large palm rested lightly at her waist. She was far less circumspect. Her hands cruised up his hard chest, over his broad shoulders, and finally wound up fisted in his thick hair.

She brushed her tongue along the length of his before circling his lips and sliding it into his mouth. Seth's big body shuddered and he groaned. The hand on her waist tightened. He sucked her tongue briefly before breaking the kiss.

"We'd better stop," he said, his voice rough and deep with arousal. His eyes were heavy lidded and his pupils were so dilated that his irises were barely visible. He cupped her cheek and stroked her swollen lips with his thumb. "Shit, that was intense."

JoJo leaned into his touch. "I love your mouth."

Seth groaned. "Oh, baby, I love your mouth, too." He clasped her wrists and untangled her fingers from his hair. He kissed each of her hands before releasing them. He took a deep breath and stood, a slight grimace crossing his face. "Give me a hug and then I need to go."

She could tell he was on edge so she didn't protest even though she wasn't ready for him to go. She could have kept kissing him forever.

The thick ridge of his erection was clearly outlined by his jeans where it lay against his hip. She couldn't help but notice it since she was still sitting, putting her at eye level with his cock. Her eyes widened. He was huge. Her gaze went to his hands and feet. Well, he certainly lived up to the stereotype. She wondered what he would feel like when he was thrusting deep inside of her. Delicious, she mused. JoJo nibbled her lip.

"Don't look at me that way," Seth groaned. He reached down and tugged her into a standing position.

She didn't bother to ask in what way she'd been looking at him. No doubt her thoughts had been written all over her face. She moved into his embrace and closed her eyes as she felt his hands spread wide over her back. He didn't hold her too close. Their stomachs and hips didn't touch. He rested his chin on top of her head. "JoJo, don't make me wait too long, okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

 ** _Omg you guys i love all of your reviews! it makes me so emotional! Im glad you like the pacing and medium slow burn of the story! Please keep reviewing and the next chapter will be out tomorrow!_**


	8. Chapter 8

_**OMG your guys' reviews make me sooo happy!**_

* * *

Chapter 8

Tuesday evening JoJo was running around her kitchen in such a frantic state she was almost sweating despite the frigid temperature of her apartment. Her original dinner plans had been to prepare something simple like spaghetti bolognese with fresh bread from the bakery and ice cream for dessert. But then she'd had dinner at Seth's and he'd really raised the bar. He'd served her coq au vin over pasta with key lime pie for dessert.

She'd spent most of the day rethinking her menu. Finally, she'd decided upon shrimp and grits with baklava for dessert. Only she'd underestimated how much time it would take to brush each layer of phyllo dough with melted butter. Now she was struggling to complete the main course.

Her grits were bubbling. She'd placed it on the back burner for that very reason. She reached back to stir it to keep it from burning on the bottom and was immediately hit by the hot liquid. Cursing under her breath, she snatched her hand back and stuck it under cold running water until the pain subsided.

She still couldn't believe that Seth had pulled off coq au vin and the best key lime pie she'd ever had. She'd looked inside his fridge before. There was nothing there but water, beer, and leftover takeout. When it came to cooking, he was a bachelor through and through.

She was taking out wide bowls to serve the grits in when there was a knock at the door. A glance at the clock confirmed that it was almost seven o'clock. She turned the heat off under her shrimp and the grits as she hurried to the door.

She took a deep breath and fanned her face before whipping the door open. Seth grinned down at her and gave her a quick kiss. "Smells delicious in here, baby."

"Thank you. I just need to plate it and then we can eat."

"Great." He held up a case of beer. "I brought along my own drinks," he said before stowing the six-pack in her refrigerator.

That gave JoJo pause. He could have just brought over a single bottle. Lurking in the corner of her mind was the idea that he'd change his mind about wanting a relationship. After all, it wasn't what he'd wanted even a week ago.

"So what's on the menu?" he asked.

Snapping to, JoJo turned back to the stove and started spooning grits into the bowls. "Um, shrimp and grits. And for dessert, I made baklava."

Seth groaned. "I love baklava." He started to sit and then paused. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, please, sit. This will be done in a second." She spooned the mixture of shrimp and bacon over the grits.

"That looks really good. I'm starving."

She placed his plate before him. She had already laid out the silverware and napkins. After retrieving their drinks, water for her and beer for him, she joined Seth at the table. Yesterday, he'd seated her adjacent to him rather than across the table so today she sat adjacent to him once more.

She watched him fork up the first bite and taste it. "What do you think?"

"It tastes as good as it smells. Have you made it before?"

She shook her head. "I found a couple of recipes online and combined the ingredients I liked best."

"When it's my turn again, I'm going to give risotto a try."

JoJo hummed appreciatively at her first mouthful. "The shrimp might be a bit too spicy, but I really like it."

"Me, too."

When they finished, Seth helped her clean up and then took the baklava out of the oven. She had cut it previously and so she scooped out triangles for each of them. They ate their desserts in front of the television.

"I'll trade you what's left of my key lime pie for half of your baklava," Seth said after one bite.

"Why would you do that? That pie is amazing."

Seth popped the rest of his baklava in his mouth and licked his fingers clean. "About that pie…."

"Yeah?"

"My mom made it."

"What? Why didn't you say anything?"

"You were so impressed with my culinary skills."

"Did you ask your mom to make it?"

"Nope. She just happened to bring it by on Sunday so I saved it to serve with my dinner."

"It's a good thing we weren't competing. You'd be disqualified." She finished her baklava.

Seth settled himself in the corner of the sofa. He patted his lap. "Come here."

She approached him slowly, cautiously. She'd never sat in any man's lap but her father's. Seth situated her sideways so that her legs draped across his and her feet dangled off the sofa's edge. She steeled herself for his kiss. Of course, he'd kissed her last night as well, but he'd waited until after he'd walked her back to her door. It had occurred in the hallway and had been relatively chaste.

Seth wrapped a securing arm around her waist. He tucked away a stray lock of hair that had escaped her bun while she was cooking. His gaze held hers. "Have you come to a decision yet?"

She shook her head. "I need more time."

"You're killing me, baby. I want to kiss you, but…."

"But what?"

"I'd only be torturing myself." Groaning, he dropped his head to her shoulder. His stubble scraped against the sleeve of her shirt. "I want to hold you in my arms, kiss you all over, and hear your moans as I-"

"So this is about sex," she interrupted, stiffening on his lap.

Seth's head snapped up and his gaze captured hers once more. "Don't pretend that you don't want to fuck me, JoJo." A quiver of arousal moved through her belly. When she remained silent, he nodded. "It's not just sex. I enjoy being with you and I'd like to be able to call you mine. How much longer do you need?"

JoJo wet her lips. She knew she was being unfair to him. "Tomorrow. Just one more day, okay?"

"Okay." He gave her a kiss but did not deepen it. "I'm not kidding about the trade though." He slid her off his lap. "I'll go get the pie."

* * *

"More flowers?" Kevin asked. "This guy must really like you."

JoJo merely smiled. Seth had sent her a dozen long stemmed pink roses. She'd told him that pink was her favorite color.

"So who is he? You haven't told us you were seeing anybody," Finn said.

She considered her co-workers to also be her friends, but they rarely discussed anything except electronics or entertainment. She knew it was because each of them rarely had anything else to discuss. Finn and Kevin were as socially inept as she was.

"He's-"

"He hasn't given up?" Naomi asked upon entering their workspace.

JoJo hadn't spoken to her cousin since the last flowers arrived other than to say a brief hello in the morning when she arrived at work. JoJo was hesitant to correct her about Seth, but she knew she had to do it eventually. She cleared her throat and straightened in her chair. "He sent them to me because he's asked me to date him."

Naomi's eyes narrowed. "Well, you have to tell him no," Naomi ordered.

Her imperious manner made JoJo bristle. Naomi was her cousin not her dictator. "And why is that?" she asked coolly.

"We discussed this me, I've seen his type before. He's after only one thing," she said with tons of innuendo, "and once he gets it, he'll be in the wind."

"I've already told Seth that just because we're dating, it doesn't mean that I will immediately…." She broke off, glancing at her officemates who were making no attempts to conceal their eavesdropping. "That I will do that with him. And he was fine with it. He…really likes me."

Naomi seemed reluctant to let her cousin date this guy. "JoJo, you don't know men the way I do. Just get rid of him. There will be some really nice men at my engagement party. We've decided to have two. There will be my farewell slash engagement party. Everyone from work will be invited. Then there will be the more formal party held at a later date. I'll get Jimmy to introduce you to someone suitable," she said with a nod as though the matter were settled. Her phone buzzed and she glanced down at the screen. "I've got to go."

"Naomi, i'm going to date seth and there's nothing you can do about it! I know you wanna protect me but i'm a grown woman and i can make decisions for myself!" She shouted, ending her rant.

Naomi stood there stunned then walked out without saying anything. Scowling, JoJo crossed her arms over her chest.

"Who is this guy?" Finn asked with a frown after a moment of silence, his accent more prominent than usual. "Do we need to meet him?"

Good grief, JoJo thought. Now Naomi had roused some dormant protective instinct in Finn. And it was all so unnecessary. "Thanks, Finn, but I can handle it." She picked up her phone and sent Seth a text.

* * *

My answer is yes.

"Yes!"

"Win the lottery?" AJ asked with a grin as he slid a book onto the shelf.

They'd been shelving a new release when Seth had felt his phone vibrate with the incoming text. "Something like that. She said yes." He grinned down at his phone.

AJ frowned. "Said yes to what? You're not getting married, are you?"

Seth laughed. "Little early for that," he answered, surprised that the mere mention of marriage wasn't freaking him out. "No, we're just dating. It took her a while to decide if she wanted to take that risk of being more than friends."

"So Mom was right? You're dating Alexa?"

"Where would Mom get that idea?"

"Dad said that you were in here on Saturday asking for dating advice." AJ shrugged. "We all automatically assumed-"

"All? Did I miss a family gossip session?"

"Wendy and I dropped by to see Mom and Dad on Sunday. We'd been out to dinner and since I hadn't seen them this week, I thought I'd check in. Mom was so excited about the prospect of having another daughter-in-law that she it was all she could talk about."

"That woman needs to get a hobby," Seth grumbled. Louder, he said, "I'm not dating Alexa. She's seeing some guy she picked up Friday night." He thought back on his Mom's odd behavior when she'd dropped off the pie. She'd been very happy and she kept dropping hints about his using the pie to entertain someone. And Alexa had been very complimentary to his mother on her key lime pie in the past. Damn. Why hadn't he picked up on that until now?

"She's already got another guy?"

"Pretty women don't stay on the market long," Seth muttered, waking his phone's screen and finding his mother's picture among his contacts.

"So who's the lady you're dating?"

Seth put his cell to his ear. "Her name is JoJo. She lives across the hall." He listened to the phone ringing on the other end.

"Seth, how are you, darling?"

"I'm fine. I'm here at the store with AJ. He tells me that you think I'm interested in Alexa. Dad was mistaken."

"Oh, dear!" she exclaimed.

Something about her tone put Seth on edge. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Well, I'd already talked to Alexa's mother. You see, she also thinks that you and Alexa would make an excellent couple. She'd like Alexa to find someone she can rely on. She'll be so disappointed."

Seth knew that Alexa's mother and his mother were good friends. He wondered if Alexa knew that their parents had been conspiring to pair them up. She'd probably be furious if she found out. Seth closed his eyes and rubbed his hand over his jaw. "Mom, why would you tell her anything…? I mean, what did Dad tell you? I never once even mentioned Alexa's name to him."

"Oh, but we just assumed! You've never mentioned any other girl."

He groaned. He didn't talk to his parents or his brother about his affairs. Mostly because they were just that—affairs. Why talk about a girl you'd never see again? He certainly wasn't going to introduce them to his parents. That would imply a depth of commitment he had no intention of making. But he could see he'd made a mistake in not telling them about JoJo.

"Mom, the girl I'm seeing is named JoJo."

"Are we going to meet this one?"

He didn't care the implication in her tone that JoJo was one of many. But since he'd never been in this position before he supposed he could display some patience. "I'm dating her, so, yes, eventually, you'll meet her."

"What does she do for a living? Where did you meet her? Is she-"

"Mom, we can discuss all that later. I need to get back to work. Love you." He disconnected before she could object. "They're going to give me a headache." But then he perked up as he remembered that JoJo had said yes. He couldn't wait to see her tonight. AJ was placing the last book on the shelf. "You know what this means right?" he asked his brother with a broad grin on his face.

"No, what?"

"I have a girlfriend. Now the parents will have only one thing to focus on. Time for you to make a baby."

AJ jerked, sending several of the books he'd just placed on the shelf to go flying.

* * *

Seth let himself into his apartment and withdrew his cell from his pocket since it was creating quite a racket. He didn't feel particularly like answering it. He wanted to shower and shave again before seeing JoJo. They hadn't made any plans, but now that they were officially a couple, he didn't want to stay away.

Hoping to keep it quick, he answered the phone. "Hello." He undid his jeans as he made his way to his bedroom.

"Hey, I heard that you had pie at your place."

"Alexa?" He put the phone on speaker and tossed it onto his bed.

"Yeah. Why haven't you invited me over for pie? Or did you eat the entire thing?"

Seth stripped off his shirt. "Actually I traded it for baklava. How did you even hear about it?"

"Through the grapevine. My mom asked me if I enjoyed it and I was confused until she explained." Alexa giggled.

"So you're not mad?"

"Mad about what?"

"My mom brought me the pie thinking that there was something going on between us. I didn't know that at the time or I would have told her about you and Alexa." He toed off his shoes.

"Oh. Well, that might not be too serious."

Seth shoved his jeans and underwear down and tossed them onto the bed. "What? Does that mean you don't want to check him out for you on Saturday?"

"What is that sound? What are you doing?"

He picked up the phone and took her off speaker. "Taking off my clothes. I was going to take a shower. Can we talk about this Saturday?"

"Have you got a date?"

"Sort of." He would if he could convince JoJo to attend.

"Oh. Okay. Yeah, I'll see you Saturday and I'll be sure to bring Alex."

"Okay. Bye." Seth glanced at the clock on his phone. He hoped he had enough time to shower, jerk off, and shave before going over to see JoJo. Masturbating before—hell, and often after seeing JoJo had become a habit. Because he was under no delusion that she would immediately want to have sex. That she wanted him, he had no doubt. He'd noticed the way she stared at his mouth and his hands. And his dick. Yeah, couldn't miss that.

He turned on the water in the shower and hopped in as soon as it got warm. In his head, he replayed the moment when JoJo had licked his lip and sucked it into her mouth. That was all it took to get him hard. He ran his hands down his body and gripped his shaft. Wanting to keep this quick, he wasn't gentle. His strokes were strong and fast. He relived their only serious kiss, saving the moment when she had twisted her fingers in his hair and slid her tongue in his mouth for last. Seth's head fell back on his shoulders and he growled as his cock swelled. He ran his thumb of the slick head and it was the final push he needed to push him over the edge. Hot cum flowed over his fingers.

"This is crazy," he muttered, stroking out the last of his seed and cleaning himself off. He'd never been turned on by so little. JoJo was always covered from neck to ankles. The woman could have a full body tattoo and he wouldn't know it.

There was a knock at the door as he was wrapping a towel around his waist. He grabbed another towel and ran it briskly over his hair as he went to the door. He grinned when he spotted JoJo holding up a bag of takeout from the Italian restaurant he'd taken her to on their first date. Well, she didn't think it was a date, but that's what he considered it.

"Hey, baby." He leaned forward to kiss her cheek. Her eyes widened as her gaze scanned him from head to toe. Seth smirked and closed the door behind her. He stood with his back to her for a moment as he wiped his hair once more and then draped the towel around his neck. When she just stood there, mouth agape, he turned around and took the bag from her hand.

"Y-you have a…a tattoo." She pointed at the ink that went along the length of his spine. His tatt weren't visible when he wore a shirt obviously so he cursed himself that he didn't tell her about it.

"They don't bother you, do they?" He couldn't tell from her stunned expression.

She tilted her head to the side, studying what she assumes to be Japanese along his back. He told her that it was bushido "The way of the warrior", and that it meant, Integrity, Respect, Courage, honor, Compassion, Honesty, and Loyalty. "I…I like it," she said faintly at last. "You're beautiful."

"JoJo," he groaned. His little shy girl was a temptress. He shoved the bag back at her. "Thank you. I'd better dress." Especially before she spotted the tent that was forming in his towel. "I'll only be a minute. Can you put the food in the kitchen?"

She nodded but her gaze was focused somewhere around his belly button. Clearing his throat, he yanked the second towel from around his neck and held it front of his crotch as he left for the bedroom.

"Snap to, JoJo," JoJo hissed at herself. So what if the man looked like he was ripped off the cover of some fitness magazine. She'd known he was fit. But damn. Seeing it was different from merely suspecting what might be under his clothing. His tight abs alone had turned her into a drooling simpleton.

She realized suddenly that she could never have sex with that man. She had an okay body, but she didn't have a sculpted anything. She was in way over her head. But JoJo had been goaded by Naomi's command into doing the exact opposite of what she'd advised. If it hadn't been for Naomi, JoJo would probably still be wavering over her answer. Nothing irritated JoJo more than being ordered around by someone who had no right to do so. It made her contrary and rebellious.

What was she going to do? They had only just begun, but she couldn't keep seeing him. That would be leading him on and that would be cruel.

She'd have to break up with him. And right away. A pang like a knife being shoved between her ribs made her catch her breath. No matter how much it hurt, she would have to do it.

She'd unloaded the food quickly and searched Seth's cabinets for dishes. She was laying out the flatware when he came in running his fingers through his slicked back hair. He smiled at her and pulled her into his arms. "You made me so happy today, baby."

Though it killed her to do so, she slapped her hands against his chest and turned her face from his kiss. "I can't do this."

His answering scowl was fierce. "What do you mean?" he asked roughly, his arms going rigid around her.

JoJo winced at his tone. "Seth, I'm…Oh, hell, I saw you. You're un-freaking-believable. There's no way I can ever take my clothes off around you."

Seth burst out laughing. "You're kidding me?"

She glared at him. "No, I'm not."

He shook his head. "JoJo, do you know what I was doing before you got here?"

"No."

He cupped her chin and tilted her face up to his. "I was taking a shower and jerking off because I knew I'd see you soon. I do it every night, too, thinking about just your smile or the kiss we shared. Just that little bit is enough to get me hard as fuck until I can't stand it. So no matter what you look like under your clothing, I'm going to want you." He kissed her forehead. "Now, you can forget about dumping me. Give your man a kiss."

She lifted herself onto the tips of her toes and pressed her lips to his. Seth groaned and his tongue came out to play. Heat curled low in her belly and down between her legs. She slid her fingers in his hair. It was still damp. He walked her backwards until he had her pressed against the counter. And if she'd doubted his desire for her before, he made sure she was aware of it now. He rolled his hips, branding her with the rigid outline of his erection.

JoJo gasped and Seth deepened the kiss, his hand spreading across the back of her head as his mouth slanted over hers. JoJo sucked his tongue and rubbed herself against his cock, wanting to feel it again.

Abruptly, Seth broke away from her, his breathing rough and choppy. He dropped his forehead onto hers. "Give me a second and we can eat."

"I want another kiss," she whispered.

Seth groaned. "If I give you another kiss, I'm going to fuck you on the counter, JoJo. And you're not ready for that, are you?"

Heart pounding, she shook her head.

"I didn't think so." He removed her fingers from his hair and stepped away from her. "Thank you for dinner," he said, and pulled out a chair for her.

She sat and waited for him to sit beside her before dishing out the pasta. They'd been eating for several minutes when she realized she'd forgotten to get them drinks. She got beer for him and water for herself.

"JoJo, my friends Dean and Renee are having a party on Saturday. Would you like to come with me?"

She grimaced. "I'm not good in crowds."

"I'll be with you the entire time and we don't have to stay long. I'd probably back out, but I promised Alexa that I'd be there to vet her new boyfriend. Well, I don't know if you could call him that. They just met last week. She's just been through a bad breakup and she's wondering if she's picking the wrong men."

"I don't know." Her stomach was churning already and it was only Wednesday.

"Please, JoJo, I'd like to introduce you to my friends. It would mean a lot to me."

She sighed. How could she say no?

"okay"

* * *

 ** _Hey Guys things are gonna start heating up by the time chapter 11 rolls around so keep reviewing and trust me its gonna be hot! and tell me what you think about this chapter!_**


	9. Chapter 9

**_Hey Guys Happy 4TH Of July! This Chapter contains a jab at bray Wyatt im sorry but i just had to lmaoooo_**

 ** _Enjoy!_**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 9**_

What the hell was she thinking? JoJo grabbed the neck of her blouse and used it to fan herself. She moved so that she was standing under the air conditioning vent. Oh, why couldn't she have come down with some illness? Right about now a mild stomach virus would have been a blessing.

Seth would be coming over in a few minutes to pick her up for the party. She hated parties. She'd much rather spend a quiet evening at home. She never knew what to say and would no doubt end up standing alone awkwardly in a corner at some point. She didn't want to embarrass Seth.

When Seth came to fetch her, he took one look at her and pulled her into his arms. "My friends are nice and if anyone makes you feel uncomfortable, I will kick their ass."

JoJo laughed. "I don't think that will be necessary. I…I just don't want you to be disappointed with me."

"JoJo, that's not going to happen. Just be your normal sweet self and everyone will love you." He kissed her forehead. "But I'd like to make one small suggestion."

"What?" she asked worriedly.

"That you wear your hair down."

JoJo's hand flew protectively to the bun secured at the back of her neck. "I don't know…."

"While I feel special being the only one to see you with your hair down—even if I've only seen it in braids—you should wear it down. This is a casual party. You have beautiful curls baby. Don't hide your light, JoJo."

"Okay. Give me a minute." She hurried back to her bedroom and pulled out the pins holding her hair in place. Using a wide-toothed comb and a healthy dose of hair product, she soothed her curls until they were gleaming and lying over her shoulders. She used a brush to tame any remaining flyaway strands.

"Beautiful," Seth said, his deep baritone gruff with arousal. He leaned casually in the doorway to her bedroom. It was the closest she'd gotten to having a man in this bedroom. Her room was decorated in her favorite color. Pink was everywhere. Ruffles, lace, pillows. It was probably a man's worst nightmare, but Seth didn't seem to notice. His gaze was focused on her.

"Thank you." She took a deep breath and put the brush down. "I'm ready."

Seth smiled. "You're not going to the gallows."

"Might as well be," she grumbled as he laced his fingers with hers.

Seth explained on the ride to Dean and Renee's house that the couple had only recently moved in together after a year of dating. When they arrived at the house, there were only a few cars in the driveway, making JoJo relax somewhat.

Seth glanced at her. "Don't worry, baby. I've got your back."

He came around to let her out and laced his fingers with hers. He held her hand as they walked up to the door. It was immediately flung open by a petite woman with short, curly light brown hair and bright brown eyes. A tall man walked up behind her and curled his arm around her waist. He also had light brown hair but his eyes were brown. JoJo immediately recognized them as people she'd seen with Seth on multiple occasions.

"JoJo, this is Dean and Renee. Guys, this is JoJo."

"Nice to meet you," Renee said with a smile, extending a hand.

"Yeah," Dean agreed with a wide grin. "I hear you agreed to date this ugly scoundrel. I'm thrilled for him, but you have my sympathies."

Seth rolled his eyes. "Ignore him. Is Alexa here yet?"

"Yeah, Alexa and Alex are here. Damn, I hate to say that I hope that doesn't last long. It's too cute and too damn annoying," Dean said. "You guys are the last to arrive."

JoJo felt her stomach knot. Since they were last, did that mean all eyes would be on them? Her cousin Naomi arrived late on purpose so as to be thrust into the limelight. JoJo usually made a point of being punctual to avoid unwanted attention. As though he could sense her growing stress, Seth's fingers tightened on hers. He probably did know as her palms were damp with sweat.

They entered the house. Many people called out greetings to him. Seth led her over to a pretty blonde wearing a mini skirt and a tank top. Beside her was a blonde man in a suit. "Alexa," Seth said, and they both looked up at him. He hugged the girl and shook hands with the guy before taking JoJo's hand again.

The girl Alexa glanced at their linked hands and then smiled brightly at her. "This is Alex, obviously," she said, gesturing to the man behind her as she introduced him. "And this is?" she asked Seth.

"JoJo, this is Alex and Alexa."

"It's nice to meet you both," JoJo said with a smile. After that she didn't have to say much. Seth took control of the conversation. He did his duty, asking Alex several questions about his job, his family, and his past relationships. The man sounded pretty clean cut to JoJo. She'd go so far as to say he was downright boring. But he was handsome enough in a boyish way.

"I want to fix up my makeup," Alexa interrupted suddenly. "JoJo, will you come with me?"

"Um…" She looked up at Seth. At his nod, she agreed to go though she didn't have any makeup on herself. She followed Alexa into a bedroom where the other woman opened her purse and proceeded to touch up her lipstick.

"I didn't really need to do this. But I wanted Seth to have a chance to talk to Alexa alone. Men will talk more freely when we're not around to judge them, you know?" Her eyes met JoJo's in the mirror.

JoJo smoothed a hand over her hair. "I guess."

"I suppose you know that Seth and I are very good friends? We've been together since high school. It's always been Dean, Seth, and me." She smiled. "Seth's a sweet guy, a very reliable friend, but…." She frowned, her eyes scanning JoJo from head to toe. "I don't know how to say this. No offense, but you don't seem like his usual type. How did the two of you meet?"

"I'm his neighbor."

Alexa's eyebrows rose. "Really? I wouldn't think he'd…." She shook her head and then smiled. She put her lipstick in her purse and pulled out a hairbrush. "So what do you do for a living?"

"I'm an IT Tech at Mcmahon, Uso & Helmsley." JoJo wondered briefly if Alexa were interviewing her in the same way that Seth was interrogating Alex.

After a few brisk strokes of her brush, Alexa put it away. "Don't you want to refresh your makeup?"

"I'm not wearing any."

"Really? How old are you?"

"Twenty-five."

Alexa turned to face her. Tilting head to the side, she studied JoJo with a mystified expression.

"Is something wrong?" JoJo finally asked.

"Um, no." She smiled. "That should be enough time for Seth to get a read on Alex."

Seth accepted the cold beer from Dean and took a sip. Alexa strolled up to him and curled her arm around his waist. He put his beer down and glanced over her head. Several people milled about in Dean and Renee's den, but he didn't see JoJo. "Where's JoJo?"

"She had to go to the bathroom."

"Down, boy," Dean said with a laugh. "I'm sure she's perfectly capable of using the bathroom on her own."

Seth rolled his eyes.

"So what did you think of Alex?"

"He's a nice guy." Seth thought he was also a trifle boring, but that he was just the stable sort of guy Alexa needed. "I say go for it."

"Thanks. As for you," she said, poking him in the side, "I'm surprised at you—trolling your apartment building for sex. Isn't that going to be messy for you in a couple of weeks?"

Seth shifted away from her, angry that Alexa would assume that JoJo was just a fling. "It's not like that."

"What do you mean? It's always like that. Just a couple of weeks ago you were saying-"

He cut her off. "JoJo is my girlfriend."

"What?!" Alexa whipped around to stare at him. Her exclamation was so loud that several people turned to glance their way. Either Alexa didn't notice or she didn't care. "What? You've haven't had girlfriend since you were a fucking adult. And you said you didn't want one less than a month ago."

Seth frowned at her. "Why are you so angry?" he asked, genuinely baffled.

Alexa huffed and finally looked around her. "I-I'm not angry. I'm just…well, hurt that you didn't say anything to me about this. Did you know about this, Dean?"

Dean appeared distinctly uncomfortable. "Yeah, Alexa, I knew."

Seth glanced between his two friends, feeling like he was missing something. "Is there something I should know?" Neither of them replied. Before he could get an answer he spotted JoJo. He crossed to her and took her hand. "You okay, baby?"

"I'm fine. I was talking with Renee. She was showing me her doll collection."

"I didn't know you were interested in dolls."

"Well, they're very pretty and-"

"And she dragged you in there and you couldn't get away," Dean filled in. He shook his head. "The rest of us have learned to steer clear of that room."

"Actually, I didn't mind."

"So how long have the two of you been seeing each other?" Alexa asked.

"Since Wednesday," Seth said. He still didn't understand her strange behavior. Before she'd cut him out of her life because of Buddy, they'd talked more because they were both perpetually single. Maybe she missed the time they used to spend together? He'd have to reassure her that he still valued her friendship and that he'd never cut her out of his life. She should know that, but as his mother was always telling him, sometimes women needed the words.

Seth held JoJo gently as he kissed her. He made sure to keep the lower parts of their bodies separated. JoJo was continually surprising him with her response to his kisses. She clung to him as though he were her lifeline. It was hell on his control. His dick was a steel bar in his jeans.

He broke off the kiss well aware that anyone could walk in on them at any moment. The party had moved outside where Dean was grilling burgers. He'd thought JoJo needed a breather. She'd seemed somewhat reserved but otherwise fine. However, he'd wanted to be sure. He hadn't intended to kiss her, but after one look at her dark, shining eyes and he was a goner.

JoJo opened her mouth over his throat and trailed kisses up to his ear. He growled when she bit his earlobe. He leaned over so that she could reach him better. "Baby, you're driving me crazy." He hadn't gone this long without sex since high school when he was living with his parents. "Tell me why we're still waiting." Because it sure as hell wasn't because she didn't want him.

"I-I just need to be sure…."

"Sure of what?" he asked, gasping as she stood on tiptoe and circled the shell of his ear with the tip of her tongue.

"Sure that this will work."

"Oh, it's going to work," he said with absolute certainty. He turned his head and captured her mouth with his again. This kiss was far less gentle. He thrust his tongue deep. When she sucked, he backed her into the refrigerator, his hands gripping her hips.

A throat cleared behind them. Seth reluctantly released JoJo. She appeared dazed and her fingers were hopelessly tangled in his hair. Seth removed them and kissed each of her fingers before smoothing down his hair.

"Dean wanted your help on the grill," Alexa said. "And Renee was wondering if JoJo and I could bring out more sodas."

"We'll continue this later," Seth whispered to JoJo before leaving the kitchen to find Dean. "Heard you needed my expertise," he said as he joined Dean at the grill. Dean was flipping burgers. The smell was mouthwatering.

"I was wondering what you put in that sauce you made for the steaks. I was thinking it might be good on the burgers, too."

"That's a Rollins secret."

Dean pointed to a small table loaded with condiments next to the grill. "Then make it yourself."

Seth grabbed a disposable cup and went to work.

"Are you fucking her yet?"

Seth froze at Dean's casually asked question. "What the hell?" Though it was easy to figure out what Seth was doing with the women he picked up at clubs and bars, he never discussed the details. He considered it to be disrespectful and his mother didn't raise him to be that way. So why Dean thought that asking about JoJo, his first adult girlfriend, was appropriate, he couldn't fathom.

Dean shrugged. "Sorry. I was just wondering."

"Do I ask you about what you and Renee are doing? I don't because I don't give a fuck. That shit is between the two of you. And unless I bring it up, what I do or don't do with JoJo, is between the two of us."

Dean held his hands up. "I'm really sorry, man. It's just…." Dean rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You've got to admit that this is strange. It's throwing me for a loop the way you are around her."

Seth glanced up to see JoJo coming out with an armload of sodas. One of Dean's cousins stepped in front of her. She smiled and spoke, but when she tried to continue on toward the cooler, he shifted to block her. Seth's eyes narrowed. "Is that fucker hitting on JoJo?" he gritted out.

Dean's glanced up. "Probably. You know how Bray is once he gets a couple of beers in him. He's an ass, but he's harmless."

"Yeah, well, JoJo doesn't know that." He dropped the cup he hadn't even begun to fill and started over toward JoJo.

"Where are you going?" Alexa asked, linking her arm with his. "You haven't made that famous Rollins sauce yet."

Seth kept going, dislodging Alexa's hold. "In a minute," he called over his shoulder. Bray was wrapping one of JoJo's curls around his finger when Seth approached. "Get your hands off her, Bray, and get out of her way." JoJo looked relieved to see him and it made him want to hit the other man for causing her even one moment of grief. Instead, Seth steered her toward the cooler and took the sodas from her. "I thought Alexa was going to help with this."

"Her boyfriend had to leave for some emergency and so she walked him out."

"Seth, this is a pretty little thing you got yourself here. Can I have her next week?"

"She's my girlfriend," Seth growled at Bray. "And even if she hadn't been, I'm not some fucking pimp."

"Whoa, dude. I didn't know."

Seth wrapped his arm around JoJo's waist and pulled her away. "I'm sorry about that, baby. He's drunk."

"It's okay. It seems that everyone I've spoken to seems shocked that I'm your girlfriend."

"They're shocked that I have a girlfriend period," he stated. "They'll get used to it."

"So what is it that you need to be sure?" Seth asked. He linked his fingers with hers and held them up by her head as he backed her up against her apartment door, caging her in with his big body. "I'll give you anything you need."

* * *

It was late. They were amongst the last people to leave Dean and Renee's party because they had stayed to help with the clean-up. Then they'd needed to give Alexa a ride home since she'd come with her boyfriend.

"I just need a little more time."

He groaned and buried his face in her neck. "You're sure there's nothing I can do?"

JoJo smiled. "You're already doing everything right."

"I must not be. I'm developing carpal tunnel syndrome in my right hand."

She laughed. "You're so silly."

He sighed and stepped back. "I see you're determined not to take me seriously. You'll see. My mother is not going to like you when you've caused her son to have a gnarled hook for a hand."

She bit her lip, a wicked idea taking hold. Before she could change her mind, she tugged him toward her den. "Come with me."

"Why?" he asked, smiling at her indulgently as he let her lead him.

She positioned him in the middle of her couch and pushed on his shoulders until he sat down. Hiking up her long skirt, JoJo climbed on top of him and began unbuttoning his short-sleeved black shirt. The cotton stretched over his shoulders and broad chest. She'd been admiring him in it since he picked her up for the party.

"What are you doing?" Seth covered her hands, stopping her at the last button. "I was kidding, you know. I'm willing to wait for as long as you need."

"I know. I just thought we'd give your hand a night off." She undid the final button and ran her hands over his pecs and down his abs. His eyelids drooped to half-mast and a low groan rumbled from his chest. Unable to resist his lips, she leaned over and kissed him, tasting the seam of his lips before sliding her tongue into his mouth. Seth angled his head and suckled her tongue. His large palms warmed her hips as he gripped them.

JoJo lost herself in his kiss as she always did with him. She had to force herself to pull back before she forgot her goal. She sat back on his thighs and reached for his belt.

"Wait," he said faintly. "You don't have to do this."

"Seth, I want to do this." Holding his gaze, she undid his belt and unfastened his jeans. She ran her palm over the blatant bulge beneath the denim. Seth groaned. Licking her lips, she lowered the tab on his zipper. Black briefs molded to his hard length. There was a wet sticky spot at the top. JoJo gripped him through his underwear and ran her thumb firmly over the tip.

"Don't tease me." He shoved down his briefs so that his shaft sprang free.

"Wow," JoJo gasped. "It's…." It was bigger than she'd expected. It was thick and long, beautiful really. Just huge. She frowned, concerned as to how he was going to fit…well, anywhere. She wrapped her fingers around him and squeezed.

"JoJo," Seth groaned, lifting his hips fractionally.

JoJo slid off his lap and onto the floor. She pushed his knees apart. His eyes burned into hers as she leaned forward and licked him from base to tip. She swirled her tongue around the swollen head, lapping up his pre-cum. She licked him several more times before working him into her mouth. Seth groaned like a wounded animal when she sucked. His hands curled into fists at his sides.

"Baby," he gasped.

She shifted closer to take him deeper. She used her fist for what she couldn't fit inside her mouth. Seth's groans came steadily, but he held himself rigidly as though he were afraid he was going to hurt her. Hoping to push him over the edge, JoJo sucked harder and faster. Growling, his head fell back onto the couch and finally he began thrusting into her mouth.

JoJo moaned. God, she loved his sounds of pleasure. Her nipples were tight sensitive buds. She pressed her thighs together. Her panties were so soaked that they were clinging to her pussy.

"Fuck! That feels so fucking good, baby." His hands were shaking as he slid his fingers tentatively into her hair. "You'd better stop." He tugged her curls. JoJo didn't let him go. On the upstroke, she ran her tongue over the opening that was copiously leaking fluid. "I'm about to cum," he warned. JoJo twisted her hand over his cock as she pumped his thick flesh. He trembled. "JoJo! Oh, shit! Oh, fuck!"

His long, low groan as he pulsed against her tongue was almost enough to send her over. She didn't let him go until he stopped thrusting his hips and she'd swallowed all he had to offer. Seth's entire body went limp.

JoJo sat back on her heels.

Seth wet his lips. "You're always surprising me," he panted.

She bit her lip. "Well…you read classical literature." She'd seen his bookshelf. It was full of classics and biographies. "I like…romances. Some of them are very…steamy."

He narrowed his eyes on her. "I'm going to have to get my hands on your Kindle."

She laughed.

He righted his underwear and zipped up his pants. "Take your panties off."

JoJo shook her head. "That was for you. And I enjoyed it."

He stroked her cheek. "You can't expect me to leave you hanging."

"No. I want the entire package when it happens."

"Woman, you're going to be the death of me."

JoJo smiled, happy that she could please him in this way.

* * *

 _ ****_ ** _Steaminess_** _ **right here boys and girls lol Thanks for the reviews i adore all of you!**_


	10. Chapter 10

**_This chapter is later than i intended because of the 4th of July festivities lol. Enjoy!_**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 10**_

Seth stared up at his bedroom ceiling wondering what had awakened him. The night before, he'd fallen into bed exhausted and pleasantly satisfied by JoJo's oral skills. The memory of her mouth on him had him hard and throbbing again. He'd known they'd be good together, but, damn, if it got any better than that it might kill him. And he knew it could be better. He'd wanted to taste her, despite her wishes to wait for more, not just to please her, but because he needed her sweet flavor on his tongue.

A loud knock sounded at his door. Seth assumed that this wasn't the person's first time knocking since they sounded impatient. Then his cell started ringing. He snatched off the nightstand and answered even as he rolled out of bed.

He'd gone to bed naked so he grabbed up a pair of briefs and struggled to get them on with one hand. "Hello?"

"Are you in there? Could you let me in?"

"Alexa? Don't you have anything better to do with your mornings?"

"Please, Seth. Alex and I broke up."

"What?" He pulled on his jeans and fastened them. "Between last night and this morning? When did you find the time?"

"I'll explain when you let me in."

"Be right there." He opened a drawer and grabbed the first t-shirt he came across. He put it on before opening the door and ran his fingers through his hair to calm it as best he could. He'd gone to bed without showering so yesterday evening's hair products still had somewhat of a hold on it, though there may have been a few rebellious strays going their own way.

He let Alexa in and she headed directly to his kitchen and began the preparations for coffee. "You're getting low on coffee," she said.

Seth shrugged and took a seat at the kitchen table. Alexa liked to come to him after her breakups, but he was never sure if she was going to open up about the cause. Whether she did or didn't, he would always be there for her. "I don't drink it," he said. "Dean spends his mornings with Renee. And you haven't been around to drink it."

She paused in the act of scooping out coffee grounds. "I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have…. I guess that's why I feel like this thing with you and JoJo just came out of the blue. I feel like there's this wide gaping void opening up between us."

"Alexa you don't have to worry about that. We'll always be friends."

"Are you sure?" She leaned back against the counter and studied him. "None of your women friends have been more than casual before. How can you know she won't try to come between us? Shit!" She lowered her voice. "I hadn't even thought. Is she here?"

Seth chuckled. "Little late to be asking that, isn't it? No, JoJo's not here."

Her eyebrows rose. "You mean you sent her home after? You know, you're not supposed to do that with your girlfriends."

"We didn't-" He glanced down and cleared his throat.

"You didn't what?" Her eyes widened. "You're not sleeping with her."

"Alexa, I don't discuss my sex life."

She grinned. "Or lack thereof." She shook her head and turned back to finish making the coffee. "I didn't think she seemed like your type. What is this? Is it the challenge of getting into her pants? That's mean."

"That's not it at all," he said, bristling at the insult. "I thought you knew me better than that."

"Then what is it? She looks like you kidnapped her from the Victorian era by acquiring a time machine."

"Look who's being mean," he said, surprised at her catty attitude. "What the fuck?"

"You'll have to excuse me. I've been dumped and I haven't had my morning dose of caffeine."

"He dumped you?"

She made an exasperated sound. "Something about me not being attentive enough. I guess he expected me to fawn all over him because he was a television producer. Big deal." She took mugs out of his cabinet. "Maybe you'd like coffee better if you tried the flavored variety."

"JoJo likes tea or juice for breakfast."

She placed a mug of black coffee in front of him before raiding his fridge for creamer. "This is almost empty," she complained, shaking the container.

"You can have what's left. I won't drink mine anyway."

"Thanks." She fixed her coffee before joining him at the table. She took a long sip then sighed. "How can you know she won't be touchy about you having a female friend? All of my boyfriends hated you and Dean."

"Don't worry about JoJo. She's really sweet. Once you get to know her, you'll love her."

* * *

"Seth Rollins, why don't you talk to your mother?" his mother began without preamble the when he answered her call.

Whenever his mother used his first and last name, he knew he was in trouble. "I'm sorry," popped out of his mouth before he even knew why he was apologizing.

"You should be sorry. You hang up on me and then you don't call me back. I had to talk to AJ to get even the smallest of information about what's going on with you. Why can't you be more like your brother?"

Seth shot a glare at his brother where he was helping a customer find decide between two vegan cookbooks. AJ's eyebrows rose. "Bastard," Seth mouthed at him before turning away to make his way to the back of the store where he could have some privacy.

"When am I going to meet the girl?"

"Um…."

"Don't tell me you've broken up with her already?"

"Of course not, but Mom, she's shy and I just dragged her to a party on Saturday. I don't want to put too much pressure on her. Plus, we just started dating. It's too early to ask her to meet my parents. That sort of behavior tends to scare people off." He knew it scared him off. If a girl so much as mentioned her parents, he was gone.

"Fine. I'll give you until Sunday."

"Sun-" But he was talking to himself. His mother had hung up on him! "Shit." He returned to the front of the store where AJ was now alone. "You could have given me a heads up you tattle-telling bastard."

AJ just chuckled. "You should talk to the parents more. I can't believe you didn't call Mom back."

"Since when did you start stopping by their house every Sunday?"

He shrugged and shuffled some around some papers. "Stopped by to tell them Wendy's expecting," he said casually with a small smile.

Seth's mouth dropped open. Then he smiled and hugged his brother. "Congratulations, dude."

AJ laughed and hugged him back. "Thanks, man."

"I'm really happy for you. I can't believe I'm finally going to be an uncle." He rounded the counter to pick up some stray books left by customers who changed their minds once they got to the checkout counter. He glanced at the titles and turned to go put them back on the shelves.

"Oh, by the way, Seth…." AJ called.

"Yeah?"

"Ball's back in your court with the parents."

Seth's eyes widened. "Oh, shit."

* * *

Despite Naomi's wishes her office farewell/engagement party was not a grand affair to be envied. She'd wanted to have it on a Saturday evening at one of the local hotels. Instead, she was given a lunch party with wine and cheese and cake on a Monday afternoon in the office breakroom. Naomi had bitterly complained to JoJo about it on Friday, her last day at work. JoJo had read between the lines to arrive at the truth. Though Jimmy liked to spoil Naomi, the rest of the partners at McMahon, Uso & Helmsley were not willing to pay for a swank party for a receptionist who had only been with the firm for a year and a half.

JoJo sipped from her water bottle and wondered how long she needed to stay before she could politely excuse herself and go back to work. Naomi certainly wouldn't notice. Jimmy was at her side and she was surrounded by her work friends. Jimmy had already given a speech thanking Naomi for her work with the firm and had presented her with a gift card to a high end department store and a dozen red roses.

Finn bit into a cracker topped with cheese. "The cheese is good," he announced. "But the wine is cheap. My uncle owns a vineyard and he taught us how to recognize a crap wine."

"Tastes fine to me," Kevin said, emptying his glass.

"I heard the cake is coconut," Finn said and all three of them shuddered.

"Then there really is no point in hanging around." Kevin put his glass on a table and walked out.

"I should go, too." Finn popped the rest of his cracker into his mouth. "I've got a ton of e-mails to go through and a new keyboard to install. Donna in HR spilled hot chocolate on hers."

"I can do that," JoJo volunteered.

"JoJo, can I have a word with you please?" Jimmy asked.

Finn gave her a little wave and deserted her. "I was just about to leave," she said, pointing at Finn's retreating back, still hoping to make her escape.

"It'll only take a moment."

"Okay."

"Naomi talked to me about finding you a date for the engagement party. I've got a few good candidates. If you'd give me some idea of what you'd like in a young man, my brother Je-"

"I'm dating someone, Jimmy, but I appreciate your effort."

Jimmy frowned. "When did this happen? Naomi said-"

"I haven't mentioned it to Naomi." As far as Naomi knew, JoJo was still waffling about whether or not to date Seth.

"Oh? Why not? It's not with the young man who was a player right?" Naomi just couldn't keep her mouth shut! "Jimmy, I wish I could discuss this with your further, but we're still working on that important software update, so…." She backed away from him. She didn't breathe easily until she'd made it to their office. Finn was at his desk, typing away, but Kevin was nowhere in sight.

Her phone buzzed. She'd received a text from Seth. 'Please, call me when you can.

Figuring that she still had a few minutes' worth of lunch time left, she called Seth. "Hello?"

"Hi, baby. How would you feel about meeting my parents this weekend?"

JoJo dropped into her office chair. "What?"

"I know it's heavy and way too damn early. But my mother's really anxious to meet you."

"Why?"

"You'd have to meet my mom to understand. Please?"

She nibbled her lower lip. Finally, she sighed. She couldn't resist him when he said "please." "Okay."

"Thank you so much, baby. I'll do dinner tonight. Talk to you later."

"Okay."

Finn peeped at her over his monitor. "You sound like you're in shock. Everything okay?"

"Seth wants me to meet his parents."

"Whoa. Didn't you just start dating this guy? Sounds serious."

That didn't worry her as much as the fact that she'd have to meet and impress new people. She doubted Seth was gearing up for a proposal. Having a girlfriend was new for him. He certainly wasn't ready to make any more leaps. But then why did he want her to meet his parents?

* * *

Sunday dawned far too quickly for JoJo's state of mind. Seth assured her daily that everything would be fine and that his parents would love her. They arrived at his parent's home, a beautiful two-story house located in the suburbs.

His mother opened the door and enveloped them both in hugs. "Let me look at you," she said to JoJo, holding onto her arms which gave JoJo the opportunity to observe her as well. Lillian Rollins had shoulder-length gray hair pulled back into a ponytail. She wore no makeup. Her brown eyes were filled with warmth and welcome. "Oh, Seth, she's adorable," she pronounced at last.

"Mom, you're embarrassing her. And me, for that matter." He frowned. "Is that Mrs. Kaufman?"

His mother turned to follow his gaze into the den. "Why, yes, dear."

"Mom, you said it would just be family."

"Well, the Kaufmans are just like family." She turned to JoJo. "They've lived across the street since Seth was in high school. I'm sure you've already met their daughter Alexa."

"Yes, ma'am, I have."

"Well, Seth, let's introduce her to everyone." Lillian clasped her hand in hers and tugged her along. JoJo glanced over her shoulder at Seth. He followed them into the den shaking his head at his mother's enthusiasm.

Next followed a whirlwind of introductions. Mr. Rollins had a head full of gray hair like his wife. His eyes were also brown, now she knew where seth got his beautiful chocolate brown eyes. AJ's hair was the same warm brown and just the same length as Seth's but a bit more straight and the brothers looked enough alike that one could tell that they were siblings without being told. AJ's eyes were also brown. He towered over his wife Wendy, a lovely, petite woman that made JoJo feel tall despite the fact that she was only average height. Mr. and Mrs. Kaufman were friendly if somewhat reserved when they met her, but JoJo couldn't imagine that they had any actual interest in meeting her at all. Alexa was there as well. JoJo was happy to know at least one person present other than Seth.

"Well," Lillian said, clapping her hands together. "Since everyone is here, I say we eat. JoJo, I'd love it if you and Seth sit next to me."

Dinner was a noisy affair, but JoJo liked the chaos. It meant less attention was directed her way. Seth's parents asked her plenty of questions. They were incredibly friendly so that she didn't feel like the subject of an inquisition. They just seemed interested to know their son's girlfriend better. Once they were satisfied, JoJo was glad that she didn't have to talk anymore. Alexa kept the table in stitches by regaling them with tales of Seth's escapades as a youth. Of course, everyone except her and possibly Wendy had heard all the stories before, but they seemed to enjoy them as well.

Shortly after dinner the Kaufmans went home because they were leaving on a trip in the morning. AJ took Wendy home as well since it was the early stages of her pregnancy and she was exhausted. That left JoJo and Alexa to help Lillian clean up the kitchen. Lillian had banned William from the kitchen in the first year of their marriage because he became a klutz whenever he held her fine china. Seth was tasked with keeping his father busy and out of her kitchen.

"What's for dessert, Mom?" Alexa asked Lillian as loaded the dishwasher. "I never did get any of the key lime pie you gave Seth."

"It was delicious," JoJo complimented. "Seth gave it to me in exchange for baklava."

"So that's what happened to that pie. I'd wondered," Lillian said. "Tonight's dessert is apple pie and ice cream."

"Lil!" William bellowed from the den. "I can't find the remote! Where did you put it?"

Lillian rolled her eyes. "Girls, let this be a lesson to you. Men can never find anything. He probably hasn't looked beyond an arm's reach. I'll be right back."

JoJo emptied water out of a couple of glasses and put them in the dishwasher.

"You know, I think you're really smart to be taking it slow with Seth. I mean, I know if I was dating a guy with his history, I'd wait to have sex, too."

JoJo froze at Alexa's words. "What?"

Alexa wiped the kitchen counter vigorously with a cloth. "I said you were smart to wait to have sex. I love Seth, but he usually runs at the first sign of commitment. Dean told me he broke it off with the last girl because she called him 'babe.'"

JoJo was upset on so many levels that she was struck mute. How dare Seth discuss their sex life with his friends? It was disrespectful and disgusting. Had she misjudged him? Was he the sort who went around bragging about his conquests? Despite all the women she'd seen him with, she'd never gotten that impression of him. He never discussed his past flings with her. She'd thought it was out of respect for them and for her, but now she wondered.

And if Alexa was to be believed, JoJo had been right in her initial hesitance to date him. As one of his closest friends, Alexa knew him better than JoJo. If she got too attached to him or fell in love, would he run?

Something was wrong. JoJo had seemed fine during dinner, but during dessert, she'd seemed withdrawn. She was always quiet, but now she appeared preoccupied as well. She barely spoke on the drive home.

Seth held her hand on the elevator ride up to their apartment, and though she allowed that intimacy, she shifted away from him rather than leaning into him as she usually did. By the time he got her to her door and she tried to get rid of him without even giving him a goodnight kiss, he'd had enough. He followed her into her apartment. "Okay, what's wrong? What did I do?"

"I don't want to talk right now, Seth. I need some time to think."

He groaned. That's the last damn thing he wanted to hear. That did not sound good. It couldn't possibly to be to his benefit. "No, baby, if you're pissed, then you tell me why. Talk to me."

She folded her arms over her chest and stared at her feet. "Did you tell your friends that we're not sleeping together?"

"No, of course not. I-" Then he stopped as he recalled his conversation with Alexa last Sunday. "It sort of just came out."

JoJo made a sound of disgust. "How does something like that just come out?!"

Seth took her hands. "Alexa came over last Sunday morning and she just assumed you'd be in my bedroom. Then she guessed that we weren't sleeping together since I wouldn't have thrown you out of my bed after sex. I'm sorry, baby. I don't discuss my sex life with my friends. When we're finally together, it will be between just you and me." He squeezed her hands. "Baby, look at me." She lifted dark brown eyes filled with hurt and it just about killed him to know he was responsible for her pain. "I am so sorry." He drew her to him and kissed the top of her head.

She squeezed him back and then withdrew. "Thank you."

"So we're okay?"

She nodded and he could have sighed in relief. "I'll see you tomorrow." She reached up and stroked his jaw before drawing his face down to hers. She kissed him lightly. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He waited until he'd heard the door lock before stomping over to his own apartment. He pulled out his cell. It was rather late but he knew Alexa would still be awake.

"Hello?"

"Kaufman, you've really fucked me this time," he growled.

A strangling sound came over the phone. "W-what?"

"Why the fuck did you tell JoJo that you knew we weren't having sex?"

"Seth, I'm so sorry. Well, it was a slip up really. I didn't mean to do it."

Seth understood how easily that could happen since he'd never intended to Alexa become privy to such personal information. Still, he was furious that JoJo had been hurt. He ran his free hand over his hair and tried to calm his temper. He wasn't an angry guy, but he was finding that he had a short fuse when it came to JoJo. "Did you tell anyone else?"

"No, of course not."

He sighed. "Good. Could you please keep it that way?"

"Of course, Seth. Really, I'm sorry."

"Okay. Look, I'll talk to you later. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

* * *

 _ **I got some great reviews last chapter you guys are very smart, maybe i should throw a curveball in there somehow lol!**_


	11. Chapter 11

**_*rubs hands together* Okay this is the chapter you've all been waiting for! THE SMUT! lol Enjoy!_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 11_**

JoJo was having a hellish Monday. The new software upgrade that they'd scheduled for all the computers in the firm had gone awry. It was throwing so many errors that it had basically rendered the computers unusable. Worse still, they didn't have a recent backup of their data. It had been Kevin's turn to do the backup the previous week but he'd had a date and the computer had been running slow. So he decided to do it later. Only he'd forgotten. Long ago the IT team had decided that they'd never point fingers. If one of them was to blame, they were all to blame. Likewise, none of them took credit for their achievements. They all received kudos when they were due. That did not make it any easier for JoJo or Finn when they had to listen to Hunter Helmsley curse them all out for twenty minutes.

They finally got the problem under control shortly after lunch. JoJo was eager for the break. Unfortunately, she bumped into Naomi as she was returning from lunch with Jimmy. Naomi had insisted on coming to lunch with her. While JoJo ate quickly, Naomi sipped a cup of coffee and complained about how Jimmy's mother was trying to take over her wedding.

At the end of the day, a violent storm sprang up. Just as JoJo was stepping out of the office, a strong wind turned her umbrella inside out, immediately ruining one of the thin metal spokes. While she fought to right the umbrella, she was soaked in the downpour.

Her shoes squished as she walked inside the foyer of her apartment building. She felt very self-conscious as the material of her dress clung to her body like a second skin. Her hair was soaked and was beginning to curl. She still wore it in a bun at work, but she'd taken it down once she got out of the car and tried to squeeze out some of the excess moisture.

JoJo's shoulders slumped after she pushed the button to call the elevator. The only bright spot in her day had been the bouquet of mixed pink flowers that Seth had sent her. Unfortunately, she couldn't even look forward to spending the evening with Seth. He and Dean were having a boys' only night.

The elevator dinged as the doors opened. Seth and Dean were in the car. "Baby!" Seth cried happily as she stepped into the elevator. And then his gaze swept over her. His mouth dropped open and his eyes grew so hot that JoJo thought it was a wonder that steam wasn't rising off her dress.

"Um, hi…JoJo," Dean said, seeming likewise stunned.

"Hi, Seth. Hi, Dean."

When the elevator doors started to close, Seth threw out a hand to stop them. "Get the fuck out, Dean," Seth said without taking his eyes off her.

"Huh? What? What about-"

"Get out before I throw you out."

Dean chuckled. "Okay. Guess I can't blame you."

"And stop fucking looking at my woman."

"Got you," he called over his shoulder, moving out swiftly. "Call you tomorrow."

"Well, that was rude," JoJo said when they were alone and the doors slid closed.

Seth backed her into the corner of the elevator car. "JoJo?" He flattened his hands on either side of her head, caging her between the wall and his big body.

"Yes?"

"We're done waiting, baby." His tone was deep, guttural.

Her eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

His gaze traveled over her body and he pressed closer. "Damn, JoJo, you're fucking gorgeous. Don't make me wait anymore. I know you want me."

She shivered and it had nothing to do with her soaked clothing or the chill from the building's air conditioning. "Y-you said you'd wait until I was ready."

"JoJo, we've been together for over a month. We spend practically every free moment together. If you're planning on waiting until we're married or something, you need to let me know. I can deal with that. It'll take some readjustment in my thinking, but I can do it. But that's not what you told me. You said you needed time."

She couldn't think because of his proximity. Had he just mentioned marriage? Is that where he saw this going? "B-but-"

Seth cupped the back of her neck, tilting her face up to his. "Baby, it doesn't have to be that complicated. Why can't you just admit that you want to fuck me?"

She pressed her palms to the hard wall of his chest to establish some space between them. "It's never been about that." She bit her lip. Everything he'd said was true. Would he really have wasted a month pursuing her if all he wanted was sex? He was the best friend she'd ever had. That long ago night when Alexa had made her doubt that Seth could make a lasting commitment, JoJo had been on the verge of telling him that she was ready to make love with him. But then she'd been so angry that he'd discussed their lack of a sex life with a friend, she'd decided that she wasn't ready to take that step with him. It had shaken her trust in him briefly.

But she did trust him now. And she wanted him more than anything.

"Tell me. I want to hear you say it." He rolled his hips against hers and she couldn't miss his blatant arousal. JoJo whimpered. "Tell me that you want to fuck me."

"Seth, I-" The elevator doors opened onto their floor.

"Let's continue this somewhere private." Seth took her hand and led her to her door. "Open it." Once she'd let them inside, he linked their fingers together and led her to her bedroom. He positioned her in front of her bed, his large hands warming her waist through her wet clothing. A small smile curved his lips. "You really are fond of pink."

Her comforter was pink and frilly. On the bed she had an assortment of stuffed animals and pillows. All of them were pink. Her bedroom was the one place where she freed her ultra-feminine side.

"You're soaked. You should get out of these clothes." He began tugging her dress up her hips.

"Seth." She covered his hands with hers, halting his progress. "I'm scared," she whispered.

"Why? I'm not going to hurt you."

"W-what if you don't like it?"

"Oh, baby, I'm going to love it."

He had so much more experience than her. How could she hope to satisfy him? "But-"

"Sh." He pulled her dress up and over her head and tossed it aside. "JoJo, you're worrying about nothing." His eyes darkened with desire as he stared down at her in only her bra and panties. "Damn, you're gorgeous."

JoJo fought the impulse to cross her arms over herself. "I'd feel better if you were naked, too."

He smiled and reached behind himself to grab the collar of his shirt. He yanked it over his head and flung it in the same direction as her dress. He toed off his shoes and undid his jeans. His eyes never left her. His cock pushed against his briefs. JoJo reached out to touch him. He was incredibly hot and hard. She wet her lips thinking about how good he would feel inside her. She barely managed one stroke before he stopped her. "No. I'm too close to the edge and I want to make this good for you." He shoved his jeans down and stepped out of them.

He pulled her close and kissed her again and again. Each kiss was more passionate and deeper than the last. JoJo was vaguely aware of him unclasping her bra. She moaned as he cupped her ass and ground his erection into her. Her nipples were tight peaks. They rubbed against his chest. It felt good, but she needed more. "Seth," she gasped.

He kissed along her jaw before nipping her earlobe. He ran his lips over the column of her throat before nuzzling her neck. "You know what I need to hear. Tell me."

"Seth, please. I want to fuck you."

He groaned. "Good, baby, because I want to fuck you, too." He lifted her and threw her onto the bed. She'd barely stopped bouncing before he was on top of her, sliding between her thighs. He ran a hand over her panties. They were just regular cotton. She didn't own any fancy lingerie. Seth caressed her mound in a little circle that massaged her clit. JoJo whimpered and arched her hips into his hand.

"You're so beautiful. I can't believe you've been hiding all this from me." He cupped her full breasts. He kissed each of her nipples before licking them and sucking them until she was squirming beneath him and panting his name. He slid a hand beneath the band of her panties. For a moment, he did nothing more than hold her. Then his fingers parted her nether lips and stroked in a slick circle around her clit before two fingers thrust unerringly into her pussy. JoJo cried out. He wasn't gentle or tentative. His strokes were hard and deep. Seth growled. "Baby, you're soaked. You've wanted me for a long time, haven't you? I could have been keeping this pussy satisfied from day one." He went back to suckling her nipples, causing her internal muscles to clasp his invading fingers.

JoJo couldn't gather enough breath to say a word. She gripped the sheets with one hand and his bicep with the other as he continued to pleasure her. "Oh, Seth, please…I-" She broke off with a scream as an orgasm broke loose in her belly. Her back arched, pushing her breast more fully into his mouth. He moaned and sucked harder.

When the last of the spasms in her pussy subsided, Seth withdrew his fingers and licked them clean. She'd say it was for her benefit, but he wasn't even looking at her. His eyes fluttered closed as though he'd tasted ambrosia. Then he gripped both sides of her panties and eased them down her hips.

He arranged her thighs so that they were over his shoulders. She frowned down at him. What was he doing? She wanted him inside her now. "Seth?"

"You denied me before, but tonight, this pussy is mine." He spread her labia and took a long firm, lick. JoJo moaned and she collapsed back onto the bed. His large palms coursed over her belly to cup her breasts. He latched onto her nipples and tugged and pinched them even as he flicked her clit with his tongue. JoJo filled her fingers with his hair. He was driving her slowly out of her mind.

Her hips bucked when he began to suck. "Oh!" She twisted beneath him unsure if she could take this much pleasure. She was going to come again. Seth growled and he curled his arms around her thighs to keep her where he wanted her. His mouth was hot and merciless on her tender flesh.

A second orgasm rolled over her. Seth didn't stop his intimate kiss until she went limp beneath him. He rose to his knees and pushed down his underwear. He got off the bed so that he could kick them off his feet. Staring at his erection sent a quiver of desire through her belly. Seth grasped it and stroked it. JoJo was mesmerized by the sight of his long fingers moving over his dick. "Maybe we should pull back the comforter."

JoJo emitted a sound of dismay. She hadn't given a thought to her lacy comforter or the assortment of pillows scatter across her bed. She scooted off the mattress and rolled it to the end of the bed, scattering pillows onto the floor. Then she climbed back on the mattress and moved to the center.

Seth followed her and spread her thighs wide and pushed them up. He fell over her, supporting himself on his elbows. Though his cock was lined up with her pussy, he made no effort to enter her. He stared down at her, his gaze intense. "I'm going to fuck you, JoJo."

She whimpered. "Yes."

"I want to be gentle with you," he said softly, rubbing his nose across hers. "But I don't know…." He rotated his hips so that his cock stroked over her clit. Groaning, he thrust again and again. "JoJo, I can't wait anymore."

"Then don't wait." His beautiful mouth slammed down on hers, his tongue plunging deep. She kissed him back desperately, her fingers tunneling through his hair. He kept rolling his hips over hers. Eventually she felt the broad head of his cock forcing its way into her opening.

Her breath caught in her throat at the pleasurable burn of his entry as he stretched her open. He retreated and came back at her again and again, each thrust burying him deeper in her core. She felt utterly possessed by the time his hips were flush with hers. He was so deep.

Seth broke off their kiss suddenly and pressed his face in her neck. "Fuck," he drawled, "you're tight. I can't-" He moaned. Grabbing her hands he laced his fingers with hers. He flattened her hands on the bed as he pulled his hips back until only the tip of his cock remained inside her. He slammed back inside and groaned her name. JoJo cried out.

His hands tightened on hers as he fucked her hard and deep.

JoJo could scarcely believe that this was happening to her. Never before had she experienced the sensations he was able to so easily ring from her body. She lifted her hips to him, moving with him as he rode her pussy. She couldn't contain her moans each time he plunged back inside. Each harsh thrust rocked her. She knew she wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. And then he found her g-spot. "Oh! Oh, my…! Oh, Seth!"

Seth began to grunt as he sped up. His hot breath warmed her neck. "That's it, baby. Come on my cock."

As though her body had only been awaiting his permission, the spasms began deep in her pussy and exploded outward. Her orgasm rolled over her with all the subtlety of a train wreck, leaving her thighs shaking in its wake. Seth growled as her pussy began to milk his cock. He fell out of rhythm, thrusting fast and erratic. Then he stiffened. "JoJo," he groaned, sounding almost like he was strangling on the pleasure. He ground his hips into hers, holding himself deep within her. She could feel his cock swell and pulse as he filled her with spurt after spurt of his hot cum. It felt so good. "Oh, fuck," Seth said, sounding mildly alarmed yet too exhausted to move. He pressed a kiss into her neck and squeezed her with his elbows in a sort of sweaty embrace as their fingers remained interlocked over her head.

He couldn't believe he'd just cum inside her. And he didn't regret it. Hell, the thought of her filled with his cum had his dick stiffening up again for another round. That just wouldn't do. With some effort, he levered himself off of her and rolled onto his back. JoJo quickly drew the sheet up around them. He pulled her into his arms. She had a banging body. He couldn't understand her determination to hide it. Seeing her in the elevator with her dress molding curves that would bring a grown man to his knees had been a shock. She should consider herself lucky that he'd managed to restrain himself enough to wait until they got to her apartment before he fucked her.

He'd been so turned on that he'd done the one thing he'd never done. He'd ridden her bareback.

"JoJo, are you on birth control?"

She jerked. "Oh."

"I'll take that as a 'no.'" And he wasn't surprised. She was very tight. He hadn't seen her with a man since she'd moved in six months ago. He'd ask but then that would be opening the door to her questioning him about his sex life. He'd rather not open that can of worms. "Just so that you know, I'm clean."

She bit her lip. "I-I've only been with one person—my boyfriend in college," she said, inadvertently answering his unasked question. "I've been tested since then and I'm clean, too."

So that just left a possible pregnancy. Surprisingly, he wasn't worried about that. He felt himself relaxing until JoJo stirred.

"I feel sticky."

"Let's take a shower."

She agreed. He followed her into the bathroom and turned on the water to warm. He watched in fascination as JoJo applied a lotion to her hair and brushed it through before braiding it and stuffing her it under a plastic cap. They climbed into the shower together. He tried to avoid getting his hair too wet. He wanted to take JoJo again—especially as he watched bubbles cascade over her beautiful breasts and down her belly and disappear between her legs. Man, he envied those bubbles. He'd be all over her but he was pretty sure she would be sore as it was. She'd been so fucking tight that he'd struggled not to cum on the first stroke. Her eyes dropped to his dick and she froze. "Ignore it," he said, washing himself briskly.

Her breath quickened. "I've never done it in a shower before," she whispered.

She wanted him. And just like that, he gave in. Groaning, he pulled her to him. He kissed her. Her skin felt amazing beneath his hands. He wanted to touch her everywhere. Kiss her, lick her everywhere. Suiting his actions to his thoughts, he moved down her neck, enjoying her gasp of pleasure. He rubbed his chin over the slender column, using his stubble to tantalize the sensitive flesh. JoJo trembled and gripped his hair.

He licked his way down to her breasts. They were a pleasant surprise, larger than he'd expected, but firm and soft. He latched onto one of her hard nipples and suckled. He groaned low in his throat. He squeezed her breasts close together so that he could easily move from one tight peak to the other. JoJo's soft moans spurred him on and he continued until he became aware of her undulating hips.

Seth slid a hand between her thighs, finding her pussy slick with her cream. His mouth watered to taste her again and he dropped to his knees. He kissed her curls before opening her lips to him. He licked on one side of her clit then the other before nudging the firm bud with the tip of his tongue. Flicking it, he looked up at JoJo. She had her head tossed back. Little cries tore from her throat. Mostly his name and a series of pleas.

The view up her body, her caramel breasts jutting out and bouncing with her panting breaths and her tiny waist, was enough to have him grabbing his dick. He pumped it a few times before standing. He backed JoJo into the shower wall and hoisted her up so that her knees rested in the crook of his elbows. Seth glanced down, appreciating the sight of her sex spread and open for him. "Put me inside you," he ordered. His hands gripped her ass, holding her up.

JoJo reached down between their bodies and positioned his cock for entry.

Seth pushed through her tight entrance, groaning like a wounded animal. "Fuck." He was bare again. Mentally, he promised himself that he would pull out this time. He withdrew and thrust deeper. JoJo hissed and he locked eyes with her. "Does it hurt?"

She gripped his shoulders, her nails digging in. "No. Please, don't stop."

There was little chance of that happening. His gaze dropped to her breasts as they jiggled with each of his upward thrusts and then to her pussy, slick and filled with his cock. "Beautiful," he ground out. "Watch me fuck you, JoJo." He kept his withdrawal slow and smooth but plunged back inside hard and deep, opening her up to his invasion.

She made a soft strangled sound and her hands tightened on his shoulders. Her movements were limited the way he held her with her back braced against the tiles and her thighs splayed. She could only arch into him and take what he gave her.

He watched her face carefully, judging how much she could take. He sped up and fucked her harder and she seemed to enjoy every moment of it. "Touch your clit, baby." She did, tentatively, but he could still feel the effect as her pussy closed snugly over his dick. Both of them moaned.

Unable to control himself any longer, Seth took her fast and hard. He controlled her hips, tilting her so that she was forced to take all of him to the hilt. JoJo's cries galvanized him. And then she was coming, her liquid heat bathing cock and balls. He buried his face in her neck and ground out his own orgasm between her thighs. She moaned softly as his dick pulsed high inside her walls.

"Oh, damn," he said weakly, trembling and trying to hold them both up. "I meant to pull out." He carefully lowered her legs. "Maybe we should move this to my apartment where I have protection."

"No thanks," she said, once again washing off.

By this point, his hair was soaked so he borrowed her shampoo and washed it. "Why not?"

"My mattress has less mileage than yours."

His paused and then rinsed the suds out of his hair so that he could look at her. "Was that some sort of crack about my past?"

She arched an eyebrow. "You're the only man I've had in my bed. Can you say the same?"

He got her point, but he smiled. "Yes. I can honestly say that I'm the only man who has ever been in my bed." She squatted at his behind and he laughed. "Okay, I get it. I'll bring my condoms over here. In the morning. I'm exhausted."

She turned off the water and they got out of the shower. JoJo took off her shower cap and shook off the excess moisture. He took great enjoyment in drying her off. He couldn't resist kissing her nipples. He dried himself and his hair briskly. She tried to put on a nightgown but he snatched it out of her hands. "No. I want to feel your skin against mine."

She sighed. "Fine, but I need to get my wet clothes off the floor."

Seth slid into bed and waited for her to join him. When she returned, she had a tray with snacks on it and two bottles of water. He sat up, suddenly recalling that they hadn't eaten dinner.

Soon, they had finished their snacks and were snuggled up together, drifting off to sleep. "Oh," he said, "I should tell you something."

"This sounds serious."

"It is. It's about my hair. Since I washed the product out, in the morning it will be…well, abundant."

She laughed and soon he heard her breathing even out as she fell asleep in his arms.

"Wow," JoJo whispered so as not to awaken Seth. He had not been kidding about his hair. She wondered what he used to tame his massive lion's mane. Because it was indeed a mane of thick chocolate waves. The top of it had to be standing at least ten inches high. Her fingers tingled to dive into it. He murmured in his sleep and rolled onto his side to face away from her. The back was cut shorter but was still fuller than what she was accustomed to seeing.

Nibbling her lower lip, she slipped the fingers of one hand into hair.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice thick with sleep.

"Well, since you're awake…." She drove both hands in and watched in amazement as they disappeared in his mane. "Oh, my…." Growling, Seth flipped over and pinned her beneath him. Her eyes widened as she noted the vulnerability in his gaze.

"I did warn you," he said.

"Seth, I can't believe I have to remind you of this, but my hair is way worse than yours. Do you really think I'm going to be intimidated by your white boy fro?"

Slowly he smiled. "Well, you have to admit, it's rather impressive."

She wiggled beneath him. "There are many aspects of you that I find impressive."

"You've got a naughty streak. Unfortunately, we've got work. I'll have to explore this sassy side of you later." He kissed her forehead and rolled out of bed. She had only a moment to enjoy his nakedness before he was pulling on his underwear and jeans. "I've got to go home and shower again so that I can tame my manly mane or else my brother will be jealous."

She needed to get up and get ready as well, but she'd rather wait until he was gone before getting out of bed. But after he put on his shoes, he merely crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her. "I've touched, kissed, and licked almost every inch of you. And you're gorgeous. There's no need to hide from me. That's another thing. Although I'd love the idea of being the only guy to know you have a killer figure, we've got to get you some more clothes. It's not right to hide such beauty."

JoJo inhaled. "I don't know."

"Why not, baby? I know you said this was about comfort, but we can find you something-"

"Seth, I developed size C cup breasts at fourteen. I've always been shy. Do you know how difficult it can be on a girl that age to have old men leering at her? I couldn't take the attention then and I still don't want it now."

He sat down on the bed and gathered her to him. He hugged and kissed the top of her head. "Okay, but that doesn't mean you have to cover up at home. I want to see you. I'm thinking some soft yoga pants that will hug that delicious ass of yours and some tight t-shirts that stretch over your tits."

She laughed and kissed his jaw. "Okay. I can do that."

"Shit. I'm getting hard just thinking about it. I better go before we're both late for work."

* * *

 _ **Gotta tell me what you think of the smuttt there will be more where that come from my lovelies! Pleeeease REVIEWWWW!**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Hey guys sorry i haven't updated in a while but I've been planning my birthday trip which is this weekend! let me answer a couple of questions that have been reviewed to me; JoJo will NOT be getting pregnant. And to shaihardy81 seth is not ready for marriage but i just wanna convey to everyone that he is in it with Jojo and he's not afraid of commitment. And Naomi isn't a bad character, she may be a bit self centered but she's all about protecting Jojo and making sure she doesn't get hurt.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 12**_

The persistence of his vibrating phone woke Seth from a nice dream in which he was just about to go down on JoJo. Grumbling at the interruption, he shifted so as not to disturb JoJo as he reached for his cell. "Hello?" he whispered.

"I've been banging on your door for five minutes. Get your ass out of bed and let me in."

Seth ran a hand over his jaw. "Alexa, I'm not home." He hadn't spent the night at his place since he made love to JoJo earlier in the week. He'd practically moved in. Each evening after work, he came home to JoJo. He didn't want to spend the night without her. It was nicer than he could have imagined, having someone to come home to. In the morning, he returned to his apartment to shave, shower, and dress.

"It's seven a.m. on a Saturday morning! Where are you?" Alexa inhaled, obviously drawing her own conclusions. "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't realize you guys had…um, done the deed."

"It's okay. Do you want to join us for breakfast? JoJo makes a mean omelet."

She coughed. "Um, no, I don't want to intrude."

"It's not intruding," he insisted, sliding out of bed. He wanted to make it clear to Alexa that he'd never neglect their friendship just because he was in a relationship.

"No. How about we meet up later for lunch or something?"

He frowned. She sounded strange, but he wasn't going to push her. If something was wrong, she'd tell him in her own good time. "That sounds fine. Text me later with a time and a place."

"Sure. Bye."

"Bye." He ended the call and placed his cell back on JoJo's nightstand.

"Why are you up so early on a Saturday?" JoJo mumbled, her eyes barely open.

"Got a phone call. That was Alexa." He paused. "She was at my place looking for me. So she knows I spent the night here. I hope that's okay."

She blinked multiple times before her eyes completely opened. "Okay. Thanks for telling me."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "We're meeting her for lunch later."

She nodded and snuggled back under the covers, looking very much like she was going back to sleep. "Okay. Love you."

Seth froze. "What?"

"Hmm?"

He hopped on the bed and shook her shoulder. "You said you loved me." No woman besides his mother and Alexa had ever told him that they loved him. "Do you mean it? Do you love me?" His insides clenched as he waited for her answer. He felt as though his entire future depended upon her response.

She bit her lip. Then she sighed. Eyes closed, she nodded.

"Oh, baby," he groaned, yanking back the covers so that he could hold her with nothing between them. He peppered her face with kisses. "I love you, too, JoJo." Her arms came up to embrace him, her fingers driving into the thick mane of his hair.

"I tried not to," she whispered.

He grinned. "Yeah, well, we know I didn't intend for any of this to happen. I should have suspected though. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since the first day that you moved in."

She laughed. "I used to think of you as The Pervert."

"What?" He reared back so that he could see her face. "Why?"

"You were always staring at me—even if you had a girl on your arm."

"That's because I couldn't help myself." He ran his thumb over her bottom lip. Though they'd made love until the wee hours of the morning, he wanted her again. "JoJo-"

She smiled at him. "At least let me brush my teeth first."

* * *

JoJo dipped her fry in ketchup. After making love again this morning, she and Seth had fallen back asleep. When next they'd awakened, they just had enough time to get ready for their lunch with Alexa. JoJo thought the other woman had been somewhat surprised to see her tagging along with Seth. JoJo wondered if there had been some miscommunication by which Seth had thought Alexa had invited them both. Alexa had recovered soon enough, giving JoJo a bright smile.

Still…JoJo couldn't shake the sudden notion that Alexa did not like her. It was nothing that Alexa said. It was rather the way she looked at her as though she were a nuisance and an interloper. JoJo didn't talk often. She couldn't think of anything to say. But whenever she did, Alexa would cut her off and turn the topic of conversation to some past event that she had in common with Seth, effectively excluding JoJo.

So JoJo sat like a lump, feeling left out even though there were only three of them at their booth. To think the day had started off so happily with Seth telling her that he loved her. After her break up with her college boyfriend, she thought she'd never date again. She wasn't good at meeting people or making friends. It was difficult for her to let anyone into her life. She could have never foreseen someone like Seth forcing his way in. Though she supposed she hadn't put up much of a fight.

Seth dropped a warm hand on her thigh. He squeezed. "Are you ready to go, baby?"

She took a last sip of her water. "Sure."

His eyes warmed. "Good. I want to go shopping for a few things. And we need to pick up some stuff for our dinner party tomorrow night."

She frowned. "Dinner party tomorrow?" she echoed.

Alexa laughed. "Weren't you listening? You and Seth are hosting a dinner at his place tomorrow night."

As a matter of fact, she hadn't been listening. She'd zoned out. Another party? He had to be kidding. She shook her head. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't worry," he said. "It'll just be Dean, Renee and Alexa. You can invite some of your friends if you'd like."

She'd never invited Kevin and Finn to anything and she didn't feel comfortable inviting them now on such short notice. They were friendly, but they tended to stay out of each other's personal lives. That left Naomi and Jimmy. She could invite them, but she didn't want them to come. It was short notice and she was afraid that Naomi would protest to their relationship again. But she knew if they were having any sort of party, they would invite her. "Okay. I'll invite Naomi and Jimmy."

"Great." He kissed her quickly. Then with a groan, he came back for a second longer kiss.

Alexa cleared her throat. "I'm still here."

Seth chuckled. "Sorry. Let's get out of here." They stood and he drew JoJo into his side with an arm around her waist. He whispered in her ear. "We're also getting you some yoga pants. And some tiny lacy panties so that I can slide to the side when I fuck you."

* * *

"How about these?" Seth had a tiny scrap of purple lace held up in his large mitts. The panties looked even smaller in comparison.

JoJo was certain she wasn't the only woman in the store imagining him sliding those panties down her legs. "Could you please put those down?" she whispered.

His brows rose. "How am I supposed to shop for them if I can't pick them up?"

"You're not shopping for them," she said fiercely, trying not to raise her voice.

"But I am. They're for you to wear but for me to enjoy," he said with a grin so lascivious that JoJo was forced to look away for fear of setting her current panties on fire.

"Fine. Pick out whatever you like."

"Finally, we're in agreement." He picked up several items and dumped them into her hands.

She watched him for several moments. "This is too much," she said when she was struggling to hold the growing mound of lace.

"Some of them won't last long."

"Oh?" She frowned and looked at the panties. She didn't know anything about lingerie. Were they that poorly made? "Then why don't we get some of better quality?"

He grinned. "It's not the quality. It's that I'll probably rip a few."

"Why would you do that?" she asked, almost outraged that he would destroy her underwear.

Seth curled an arm around her waist and bent to her ear. "Baby, your pussy is so fucking tight and sweet I won't be able to control myself."

JoJo shivered with desire as understanding dawned and a ball of lust exploded low in her belly.

* * *

JoJo wasn't entirely sure about this. She stared at herself in her bedroom mirror. The soft cotton of the yoga pants molded her curves lovingly. They were very comfortable as Seth had promised. She smoothed down her tank top. Both were black. Beneath she wore black lace lingerie. All of it was courtesy of Seth as he'd insisted on buying her new clothing. He waited for her on the couch in her den. He'd gone home to change into sweats. She'd asked why, but he'd merely said he'd show her when he got back. He did look gorgeous in his light blue t-shirt, but then he looked good in everything he wore.

Thinking she had wasted too much time, she left the safety of her bedroom to find Seth lounging in the middle of her couch, his arms spread out along the back. He'd removed his t-shirt and his chest and toned abs were on display. His sweatpants hung low on his hips. JoJo's breath caught in her throat.

He grinned. "Come here, baby." He held out a large palm to her. She took it and he pulled her between his spread thighs. His eyes roved over her body, slowly from bottom to top. A low groan escaped his throat. "Turn for me." He placed his hands on her waist and urged her to spin. "Your ass…oh, damn, baby." When she faced him again, her eyes dropped to his lap where he was adjusting his erection. The sweatpants did nothing to hide the level of his excitement. He drew her forward and pressed his face against her breasts. "You're gorgeous. I can't believe how lucky I am."

She stroked his hair and his shoulders.

"Sit in my lap." When she would have sat sideways, he shook his head and arranged her so that she straddled him. Eyes hot, he grabbed her hips and yanked her over his erection. JoJo gasped. "Feel good?" he asked. At her nod, he grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her down for a kiss. The kiss was hot and wet made more so by the way Seth cupped her ass and moved her on his dick. The thick, rigid bar lined up perfectly with her pussy. Before long, she was grinding on him, moaning and practically ready to rip his pants off of him.

"Seth, please," she gasped, tearing her mouth away from his. He buried his mouth in her neck, biting and sucking. She ran her hands over his chest, feeling his flat nipples.

He dug in his pocket and retrieved a string of condoms. "Take your pants off." She stood and hurriedly pushed them down. "Nice panties," Seth said, pushing down his sweats and rolling on the condom. "Lose them. I want you naked from the waist down." She followed his orders and attempted to climb back into his lap. "No." He turned her. "I want to see that ass when I fuck you." He wrapped her arms around her and hugged her from behind as she settled over him again. And then he began to grind into her from behind. He shoved up her top and popped the little clasp on her bra holding the cups together. He filled his hands with her breasts, tugging both nipples at the same time.

JoJo squirmed. She was so wet. "Please, Seth."

"Lift a bit, baby." She did and he positioned the broad head of his cock at her opening and slid into her one inch at a time. His breath was hot on her neck. He kissed and petted her as he slowly impaled her. Seth groaned when he was fully enveloped in her pussy. He leaned back behind her and spread his thighs, effectively spreading hers as well. "Oh, shit, that feels…." He thrust up and JoJo whimpered. "Ride me, baby."

Bracing herself on his thighs, she lifted and dropped, ending with a swivel of her hips. Which felt amazing. If Seth's corresponding deep groan was anything to judge by, he agreed.

"Do that again," he demanded in a guttural growl.

So she did. Again and again. As though he couldn't take it anymore, Seth gripped her waist and starting thrusting up hard and fast. JoJo cried out as his cock scraped over the walls of her pussy, slamming deep and hitting her g-spot. She leaned forward, trying to hold on as he took over.

"Come for me, JoJo." He slid a hand between her thighs and circled her clit. He strummed the turgid bit of flesh until she was crying out his name. Her pussy closed over him tightly, as though it never wanted to let go. JoJo thought she might pass out.

She was still limp with the power of her orgasm and she was barely aware as Seth moved behind her. Before she was fully cognizant of what was happening, he had her on the floor on her hands and knees without their ever physically breaking contact.

"Oh, my God," she gasped at his first hard thrust. "Oh, Seth!" He spread her thighs wider and pressed her chest closer to the floor with one broad hand on her shoulders. JoJo scrambled for something to hold onto as he began to fuck her wildly. She wrapped her hand around a sofa leg.

Seth grunted with each deep plunge, grinding his cock into her when he was buried his deepest. She couldn't withstand his pounding for long before she was thrown headlong into another orgasm. This time Seth followed her over, bellowing her name. He dropped to all fours over her, his sweat slicked chest rubbing over her back. "Damn, that was good," he groaned. Reaching over her head, he linked their fingers together. "I'm getting you yoga pants in every color."

JoJo smiled. "I like your sweats, too." He was actually still wearing them since he'd just pushed them down.

He kissed her neck before pushing himself off of her. He helped her up as well. "I'm glad. Then we can dress casually when we're home and we will definitely do this again."

She picked up her pants and underwear. "I'm going to clean up."

"Sounds good. I'll wash up, too. I'll fix dinner and you can do dessert."

"I don't have anything for dessert," she protested.

"Sure you do," he said, insinuating a hand between her thighs and cupping her pussy. "This is my dessert." Leaning over, he captured her mouth in a slow, soft kiss. "And it's the sweetest, best dessert any guy could ask for. Only, I'm not fucking sharing."

* * *

 _ **Please review my loves! i hope i answered all your questions! if you have anymore just review and ill have them answered quickly! Next is the dinner party and it will be a very uncomfortable dinner.**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 13**_

JoJo was surprised when Naomi accepted her invitation. Preparing dinner with Seth was unexpectedly fun. There was lots of laughter, and even better, kisses, while they worked. They'd never cooked a meal together before. They acted as each other's sous chef—cutting their cooking time almost in half. He made coq au vin again and JoJo made baklava in advance. She thought making it early would take the pressure off them later. What she hadn't anticipated was that she'd have to constantly protect the dessert from Seth. She managed to catch him a couple of times, but a few bars still went missing.

The dinner went well and they received many compliments on their culinary skills. After dinner, their friends lingered, drinking wine or beer. Seth was sitting on the couch with Alexa watching the sports channel.

"Mind if I have some water, JoJo?" Naomi asked. Her wine glass was empty. She had come alone as Jimmy couldn't make it due to a previous engagement.

"Sure." JoJo led her cousin to the kitchen. She opened Seth's refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water and passed it to Naomi.

"JoJo, I'm sorry that I wasn't supportive of you dating Seth. I can tell he's totally smitten by you. I'm happy for you." Naomi twisted the cap off the water bottle. "But I'd like to give you a word of caution about his little friend out there."

JoJo felt a rush of relief mixed with anxiety. She needed confirmation of her fear. Though she was certain that there was something off about Alexa's reaction to her, she had nothing concrete. Until she had reason to do so, she couldn't say anything to Alexa or Seth about it. "So I'm not imagining it? She doesn't like me."

"Honey, she not only doesn't like you. She hates you. That bitch wants your man."

JoJo blinked. She peered out into the den where Alexa sat next to Seth. As she watched, Alexa slung her arm around Seth's broad shoulders and rested her face against his arm. She rubbed her cheek there for a second before withdrawing. "No…she's just his friend."

"But she wants to be more. I've been watching her. While he's been eating you up with his eyes, she's been doing the same to him. That is, when she's not throwing daggers your way."

JoJo didn't know what to do. She knew Seth was very close to Alexa. "What do I do?" she asked quietly.

Naomi shrugged and sipped her water. "I can't tell you what to do, having never been in this situation myself. If it were me, it would be no problem because that bitch would know better than to step to me. When she looks at you, she sees a pushover that she hopes she can maneuver out of the picture."

Before she could reply, Renee bounded into the kitchen. She gave JoJo a quick hug. "JoJo, we're leaving. Dean and I really enjoyed this. Thanks so much for having us over."

"Um, thank you for coming," JoJo replied, her mind still reeling from Naomi's comments. "I'll walk you out."

"And it was so nice to meet you, Naomi."

Naomi smiled. "Likewise."

When JoJo walked Renee out, she noticed Seth was already with Dean at the door. Dean hugged JoJo when she approached. "Dinner was fantastic. The two of you should do this more often."

"Thank you," JoJo said.

"Well, we'll see you guys around. Good night." Dean wrapped his arm around Renee and led her out.

Seth smiled down at JoJo. "This has been fun. We should-" Yelling broke out in the kitchen. He frowned. "What the hell?"

They both turned and raced to the kitchen. The shouting had stopped but Naomi and Alexa were exchanging deadly glares. JoJo looked from one woman to the other. Both looked furious, but at least blows hadn't been exchanged. Naomi was as perfectly put together as she had when she arrived. "What's going on?" Seth demanded.

"Nothing," Alexa quickly replied. "I'm leaving. Seth, could you walk me out?" He frowned and looked like he would say more. "Now, please, Seth?" Alexa urged, tugging on his sleeve until he followed her.

JoJo stared at her cousin. "What was that about?"

"I just gave her a little warning."

"What? Why?"

"You're happy. And nobody fucks with my family." Naomi gave her a hug. "I'd better go. You talk to your man."

JoJo walked her out. Seth barely acknowledged Naomi as she left. "What the hell did she say to Alexa? She was practically in tears when she left." He paced his den, clearly agitated.

"I don't know exactly," she said sadly, upset that their evening had ended so poorly. Since Seth was already on edge, she decided she'd discuss her suspicions about Alexa with him tomorrow.

"I should have known when you invited her. Everything you've said about her has made her sound like an inconsiderate, shallow narcissist. I certainly didn't expect her to attack one of my friends though."

JoJo couldn't let him keep denigrating Naomi when this was the first unselfish thing she'd done in a long time. "Actually, I think…that Naomi was trying to help me."

Seth stopped pacing, his eyes narrowing on her. "Help you, how?"

"Well, she…" She stopped. She wasn't going to throw Naomi under the bus. Upon further consideration, she believed it as well. She thought back to all the times when Alexa had taken over the conversation and she'd been grateful to have someone fill in. Alexa hadn't been doing her any favors. She'd been purposefully trying to squeeze her out. JoJo took a deep breath and came out with it. "We think that Alexa is in love with you."

"That's utter bullshit," he snapped. "I told you Alexa is recovering from a bad break up and you still thought it was appropriate to sic your cousin on her?"

She frowned, instantly annoyed with his tone and the combative attitude. He didn't consider her claim for a second. And Alexa was no fragile flower. Judging from the yelling, she certainly was no helpless victim. "I didn't sic her on her. I didn't even ask her to talk to her. I just mentioned that I thought that Alexa didn't like me-"

"Come on, JoJo. You've told me yourself that you're not good at reading people. Don't you think it's possible that you're misreading this?"

Slowly, she shook her head. As she thought back to all the other occasions she had been in Alexa's presence, there had always been something a bit strange about the way Alexa treated her. At first, she'd thought maybe Alexa was judging to see if she thought her worthy of Seth's affection, but it went beyond that. Her bright smiles didn't reach her eyes. She'd casually tried to insinuate that Seth would run from any commitment. JoJo now realized that had been an attempt to get her to dump Seth. "I think Naomi is right. She's in love with you and she hates me because I'm with you."

"I don't believe this." Seth resumed pacing. "Look, there's nothing but friendship between me and Alexa. That's all it's ever been. You're letting your egomaniacal cousin make you see things that aren't there. If anything, she told you this to break us up because she didn't want you seeing me to begin with."

JoJo considered this for a minute, but quickly came to the conclusion that her original assessment was correct. Naomi was genuinely happy for her. "No. Naomi's right. I couldn't really figure out what was wrong before, but all the signs were there."

"JoJo, don't do this. What are you asking me to do? Choose between you and my friend?"

She twisted her fingers together even as she felt her stomach begin to churn in anxiety. "I'm not asking you to make a choice. I'm just giving you the facts."

He scoffed. "As you and your cousin see them. She believes the entire world revolves around her. And you…you're so insecure that you can't even wear a damned pair of jeans in public."

She flinched as though he'd slapped her. Is that the way he saw her? Weak? Insecure? Pathetic? "Seth-"

"Because that is what this boils down to, isn't it?" He stopped to stand in front of her. "You don't trust me. And no matter how much I try to reassure you, you can't believe that all I want is you." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Maybe we should take a break."

She couldn't believe he was this angry. And despite the fact that she'd not asked him to make a choice, he clearly had. And it wasn't her. Growing angry herself, she said, "Fine." She snatched up her purse where she'd placed it on the floor next to the couch. She opened the door. "You don't have to worry about making a choice or about us taking a break. This is over."

She slammed the door behind herself and hurried to her apartment. She thought he might try to follow her, but he didn't. She paced her own apartment, high on adrenaline from the fight, her mind racing to catch up to what had just happened. What had happened? What could she have done differently? What could she have said to him that would have made him believe her?

Was she wrong? She didn't think so, but Seth was so certain…. Did she just break up with Seth for no reason?

And then the reality caught up with her. It was over. She crumpled to her knees right in the middle of her bedroom, tears running down her cheeks.

She waited for hours for Seth to come, but he never did. And that hurt as well. She crawled into bed alone and curled up into a little ball. She didn't even bother to brush her teeth or change into her pajamas.

Sleep didn't come for many hours. She was exhausted in the morning and she thought about calling in sick. But then what else was there to do except go to work? It wasn't as though she would miraculously feel better tomorrow. So, no, it was best to go on as she meant to continue. She would go to work. She would come home and watch television and play games on the internet. Perhaps for a while she wouldn't read the romantic books she liked so much. She didn't think she could take reading about happy couples right now. And she would be lonely again, but she'd been lonely before. She would be fine because despite what Seth thought of her, she was strong.

* * *

Seth checked his phone again. Still no messages from JoJo. He put it back in his pocket and shoved another book so violently onto the shelf so that it sounded like someone had shot it out of cannon. What the hell was wrong with her anyway? Setting her psycho cousin loose on Alexa? Breaking up with him like that? All he'd meant was that they should stop arguing and cool down for a night and then talk again. And then she'd dumped him!

He'd considered going after her, but he was still too angry. The idea that Alexa was in love with him was absurd. Alexa had said that their friendship would cause friction, but he couldn't believe that JoJo didn't trust him enough to think that he could have a female friend. He'd totally misjudged her.

He slammed another book onto the shelf.

"Well, you're in a stellar mood" AJ said. "Do you mind? You're scaring the customers and me, as well, for that matter."

"Sorry." He ran a hand over his hair. "I guess I'll do this later. In fact, would you mind if I left for the day?"

AJ looked concerned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just been dumped is all."

"Oh. Sorry, man."

Seth scowled at him. AJ didn't seem at all surprised. "Is that it?"

AJ shrugged. "What do you want me to say? You gave it your best shot. You screwed up."

"What makes you think this was my fault? Or that I won't get her back?"

"You're new to this whole girlfriend thing. You were bound to fuck it up."

Seth shot him a nasty look. This conversation was getting him nowhere. "So do you mind if I leave or not?"

"Sure. Go ahead." AJ bent down to pick up the box of books Seth had been unloading. "By the way, if you want her back…which I know that you do, be prepared to beg."

"This is not my fault," he said through clenched teeth.

"Uh huh. That's the attitude of a single man."

Backing away from his brother, Seth said, "I'd give you the finger right now but we're at work."

"Just remember this conversation."

* * *

Seth really wanted to talk to Dean but he wouldn't be off work for another couple of hours. To fill up time, he stopped to get something to eat as he'd skipped lunch earlier in the day. He hadn't been hungry. But when he went by Dean's house, only Renee was home. She promised she'd tell Dean he'd dropped by when he returned. Needing someone sympathetic to talk to, he decided to visit Alexa.

"Hi! Um, this is a surprise." She glanced behind herself. "It's a bit of a mess in here, but come on in. What's up?"

He followed her inside, vaguely noting that she was right. The place was a mess. There was a pile of laundry in one chair. Magazines littered the area in front of the sofa. Seth shoved aside an empty Chinese food carton and sat down on her couch. He leaned back and covered his face with his hands.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"JoJo dumped me."

There was a long silence. And then Alexa was pulling him into a hug. She rubbed her hand over his hair and back. Seth took a deep shuddering breath and fought the sudden urge to cry. He'd made the right choice to come here. Alexa was probably the only person who could understand what he'd been through. "What happened?"

"It was just like you said. She didn't like us being friends. By the way, I'm sorry about whatever her cousin said to you."

"Well, you know how I hate to say 'I told you so.'"

He smiled. "You love to say it." He pulled away and sat up. "Thanks." He rubbed his eyes. "I'm exhausted. I barely got any sleep last night."

"Do you want a drink? I have a bottle of my father's bourbon if you'd like a glass."

"No. I'd fall asleep and I'd never make it home."

"You could use my guestroom."

"Thanks for the offer, but no."

Alexa leaned against him. "So what now? We hit the club on Friday night?"

"Kill me now," he groaned. "No, I'm not ready for that." He had no desire to hit the club. All he really wanted…. Damn it, he wanted JoJo. There had to be some way for them to work around this. They were both reasonable people. And they were in love. He stood up, suddenly anxious to talk to her. "I have to go home."

"What? Why?"

"I need to talk to JoJo."

Alexa stood as well. "I repeat, what and why?"

"There has to be a solution." He hugged her. "Don't worry. No matter what, we're good."

"Okay," she said, but she didn't seem happy. Maybe she still doubted that he would stay firm about remaining her friend. He wanted to reassure her, but he needed to go now. "I'll call you later to check on you."

"Sure thing," he said, already heading for the door and trying to figure out what he could say to JoJo to fix this. He was a little angry that she didn't trust him, but then she had seen him with numerous women in the months prior to their dating. She should know what he had with her was different, special. He'd never told another woman aside from his mother and Alexa that he loved her. Hell, he'd never spent the entire night with another woman.

* * *

Seth stepped off the elevator with every intention of going straight to JoJo's apartment. But he paused at the sight of a cardboard box in front of his door. He bent and opened the flaps. Inside were a toothbrush, some hair supplies, a half empty box of condoms, a t-shirt, and the remains of a six-pack of beer he'd left in JoJo's fridge. There was no note.

He crossed the hall and knocked on her door. There was no answer. He didn't hear any sounds on the other side nor could he detect any light. He couldn't imagine where she could be other than with her cousin Naomi. But she had to have been home recently when she packed his shit up. He took his phone out of his pocket and called her. He shouldn't have been surprised when the call went directly to voice mail.

Seth closed his eyes and sought patience. "JoJo, I'm outside your apartment. I'd like to see you." He paused. "Call me, please. I want to talk to you. I don't want things to end this way…. I…I love you." He waited a few minutes to see if she would open the door. Finally he accepted that either she wasn't home or she wasn't going to let him in.

He picked up his box of stuff and went into his apartment. He placed the box on the floor next to his couch and took out the beer. Opening it, he stared at his black television screen.

His cell rang and he almost dropped his beer in his hurry to get it out of his pocket. But it was only Dean. "Hi, Dean."

"Don't sound too enthused to talk to me."

"I was hoping you were JoJo."

"Why? Did she escape your back pocket? Last I saw, the two of you were practically attached at the hip."

"JoJo dumped me." Man, he was getting tired of saying that. It didn't seem to be getting any easier.

"What? What did you do?"

Seth emptied his first beer and lay back onto the couch cushions. "Why do you assume it was me? This was her fault. She had a problem with me and Alexa being friends."

There was a long pause. "What did she say?"

"It was nonsense about Alexa being in love with me. I told her it was ludicrous and we should take a break. But I meant from the argument and she got mad and said it was over."

Dean sighed. "Seth, do you love, JoJo?"

"Yeah." He covered his eyes and waited for Dean's advice on how to fix this.

"Shit, I really didn't want to have to do this…."

"Do what?"

"Seth, JoJo's right."

"About what?" Seth frowned. "You think she was right to break up with me? Because you weren't there and-"

"No. She's right about Alexa. She's in love with you."

"Alexa loves me and I love her, but she is not in love with me."

"That's just it. She is in love with you. She has been since senior year of high school. You're the only one who can't see it."

Seth sat up, his body going rigid with anger. "Dean, what the fuck are you talking about?"

"Don't get pissed with me for telling you the truth. Why do you think she can't make a relationship work? Why do you think she keeps trying to cut you out of her life but not me?"

"You're always with someone. Guys don't see you as a threat."

"No, they see you as a threat because she can't get over you. Sooner or later, they pick up on it. Do you know Buddy asked her to marry him? That's why she broke up with him."

Seth's mind was spinning. This couldn't be true. But then why would Dean lie to him? "But…but when I got out of college…."

"Yeah, you wanted to fuck her for about five minutes and you moved on. For you, it would have been a temporary fling, but it would have wrecked Alexa. So, of course, I talked you out of it. I'd hoped she would find someone else."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? How long have you known about Buddy?"

"I ran into Buddy a week ago. And I didn't tell you because Alexa is my friend, too."

Seth groaned. "I don't know what to say. I was over at Alexa's place earlier. She's supposed to call me later. What am I going to say to her?"

"The only thing you can do is be honest with her." Dean swore. "I hate this. You know this is it for the three of us hanging out right? She's going to have to get over you and that means not seeing you."

Seth hated that. He knew a moment of sympathy for Alexa. If she felt about him the way he felt about JoJo, she had to be hurting.

He groaned suddenly. AJ was right. He was going to have to do some serious begging to get JoJo back. "Dean, I need to call JoJo again."

"Good luck."

"Thanks, dude. Talk to you later." Seth disconnected the call and found JoJo's number. Of course it went straight to voicemail. "Baby, I'm sorry. Please talk to me. I was wrong. Shit, I still can't believe…. I never knew. I love you. Call me."

He must have fallen asleep on the couch because next he knew he was being awakened by his cell ringing and vibrating in his lap. He snatched it up and answered. His gaze was too blurry from sleep for him to read the caller ID. "JoJo?"

"No," Alexa replied slowly. "I guess you haven't talked to her yet."

Seth groaned as he sat up. He'd been lying at an awkward angle and his neck ached. He stretched to try to relieve the tension. "No. She's not taking my calls."

"I'm sorry, Seth."

He sighed. "Are you, Alexa?" he asked sadly. He didn't want to have this conversation—ever, but there was no point in delaying it.

"What do you mean? You're obviously upset so, of course-"

"Why did you break up with Buddy?"

"I don't want to talk about him."

"Is it because he asked you to marry him?"

"Seth-"

Some part of him was still hoping she'd deny it. He didn't want to lose her as a friend. "Alexa, are you in love with me?"

She inhaled so sharply that he could hear it over the phone. She didn't speak for a long time. "Seth…." Her voice was thick with tears.

Seth closed his eyes. "Shit." How could he have not seen it? He reviewed all their time together over the years, looking for some clue. But she'd always been with one guy after another. Alexa was openly sobbing over the line now. "How do we handle this?"

"Do you…do you love her?"

"Yeah."

"I waited too long."

He sighed. He didn't know if timing would have mattered. He'd never felt drawn to any other woman the way he was to JoJo. Though he loved Alexa, he'd never been in love with her and he couldn't force those feelings to change.

"Did you…?" He cleared his throat, finding this question as difficult as confirming her feelings for him. "When you slipped and let JoJo know that I'd told you that we hadn't been intimate, was that really a slip or were you trying to break us up?"

"I wish I could deny it," she said quietly. "It wasn't planned. Some devil on my shoulder pushed me to it."

Seth felt anger at Alexa bubble up. Though he couldn't really blame Alexa for JoJo dumping him, her actions precipitated it. If she'd only been a good friend to him, the confrontation with JoJo never would have come about. He couldn't talk to her anymore tonight or he'd end up saying something he'd regret.

"Good night, Alexa."

"Seth, wait!"

"What is it?"

"Just once I wanted to tell you. I love you, Seth."

He paused. He couldn't give her the love she wanted but he did love her. "I love you, too, Alexa."

She took a deep breath. "And-and there's no chance…that maybe one day we could have more?"

He closed his eyes. He hated hurting her. "I'm sorry, no" he said softly.

For a while she said nothing. Then she cleared her throat. Her voice sounded choked as she said, "Good night, Seth."

"Good night, Alexa."

* * *

 _ **Okay guys we're almost in the home stretch of this story there are only 2 chapters left plus the epilogue but i promise you they wont leave you hanging they're pretty good long chapters lol.**_

 _ **Also did you guys see Raw tonight!? I Smell a reunion lmaooo!**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

 ** _Chapter 14_**

It was difficult to avoid one's neighbor, JoJo reflected as she stepped off the elevator. But luck was on her side. It was Friday and she hadn't seen Seth all week. She'd taken to leaving for work early in the mornings. Aside from Monday when she'd left work early so that she could return his belongings, she'd stayed away from home until late. She went to Naomi's place. It was strange, but she felt closer to her cousin than she ever had before. JoJo didn't know what she would have done without her support this week.

She'd changed the settings on her cell so that each of his calls went to voicemail. She listened to the first two messages from him, but after that it was too difficult and she deleted them without listening. He called every day. Several times a day. He sent text messages. And he sent her flowers every day. Their little IT office had the best smelling trash can in the entire building.

It was Friday and she was tired. So tonight she had come home. She could spend the weekend holed up in her place. Hopefully, she could do so without Seth noticing. He was probably out anyway—picking up his next two-day fling.

Holding her bag of takeout close to her chest, she prepared to tiptoe to her apartment. Only his door was wide open and Seth sat in a chair facing the hallway. Startled, JoJo jumped. "JoJo," Seth called.

She was shocked enough to stand still for all of a second but her feet got moving fast enough when he stood. She fumbled with her keys, wondering why she didn't have them ready.

"JoJo, you have to talk to me some time."

"We've said all we have to say to each other." She shoved her key into the lock. She was turning the knob with he caught up with her, his arms going around her waist.

"Please, JoJo, you have no idea how sorry I am."

She'd heard his apology. But it hadn't been complete in her opinion. He'd never apologized for calling her insecure. But that probably wasn't an oversight. That was how he saw her and that hurt almost as much as his choosing Alexa over her. She'd never lied to him about being shy.

"Seth, you made your choice and I made mine."

"I never fucking chose any of this. Please, can we talk?"

"I don't want to talk to you."

"JoJo, we love each other. Don't you think that you owe it to us to make this work?"

"No," she said stubbornly, twisting the knob to her door while simultaneously managing wriggle out of his arms. She held onto the door, blocking him for following her. "You made it clear how you feel about me. You think I'm weak."

He frowned. "I never-"

"You called me insecure—too insecure to wear jeans in public. That's where you're wrong. The one thing I've never been is weak and I won't be with a man who believes that I am." She closed the door in his face while he was still thinking up a response.

He immediately began pounding on the door. "JoJo, I don't think you're weak."

"Go away, Seth."

"Baby, please, I didn't want to break up with you. I love you."

Her eyes were stinging. She closed them tightly and bit her lip. She was barely breathing. "Y-you n-need to go away," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"JoJo, please-"

"No!" She cut him off. "I won't listen to any more of this." She couldn't. "I'm going in my bedroom and I'm shutting the door," she said hurriedly. She grabbed utensils and got a bottle of water from her refrigerator. "I'm going now," she shouted so he'd stop wasting his time trying to talk to her. She turned off the light in her kitchen and retreated to her bedroom.

Seth didn't sleep well. When he woke up on Saturday morning, he got out of bed and showered, shaved, and slicked down his hair. Then, despite the fact that he doubted JoJo would leave her apartment, he opened his door so that he could watch the comings and goings in the hallway. He'd angled his recliner so that he could have the perfect view. He realized that his behavior was verging on stalkerish, but he couldn't think of any other way to get JoJo to talk to him.

He could kick his own ass after his last conversation with her. His thoughtless words had seriously hurt her. He didn't think of JoJo as weak. She was shy, yet she'd allowed him to take her to several events where her only friend was him. He knew how hard that had been for her. When he'd called her insecure, he'd been angry. And while she did have some insecurities, everyone did. He didn't think less of her because of them. But apparently, that's the way she'd taken his comments.

He'd never thought about how quiet their building was before. He saw precisely one person pass by before noon. It was midafternoon when JoJo's cousin Naomi stopped to lean into his doorway. "You're not concerned about security?"

Seth placed a bookmark in the book he'd been reading and put it aside. He stood and stretched. "Not really. You're only the second person I've seen all day."

"Well, JoJo asked me to stop by and pick up the baking dish she used for the baklava. She said you still had it."

"Why doesn't she come and get it herself?"

Naomi tilted her head to the side and gave him a look. "Really?"

"I'd really rather give it to her in person to make sure she gets it."

Naomi sighed impatiently. "Don't behave like a child."

"I just want to talk to her—to straighten this out."

She lifted her brows. Then she shook her head. "I knew you were going to fuck this up, but I really thought it would be cheating not utter stupidity. You don't look stupid." She entered his apartment. "JoJo is not good with social situations. She's more cautious than most when it comes to relationships and letting people in her inner circle. She took a risk by dating you and you proved that it was a bad risk. You hurt her. And once she's been burned she won't willingly stick her hand in the fire again. She will go out of her way to avoid it. She's running scared. She may forgive you, but she won't take you back. That means it will take an act of divine intervention to get her to talk to you again."

Seth's shoulders slumped. He'd really fucked up. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him and he'd blown it all in the course of a few minutes with some thoughtless words. "I'll get you that pan." He opened the dishwasher and pulled it out. "It's already clean." The handed it to Naomi. "Tell JoJo…." What could he tell her? He'd said he was sorry. He'd told her he loved her. She wasn't willing to give him another chance.

Naomi sighed. "You really love her, don't you?" At his brisk nod, she sighed again and rolled her eyes. She grumbled under her breath and then seemed to come to some sort of decision. "Fortunately for you, my middle name is Divine. I'll help you win JoJo back."

Though he hadn't particularly liked Naomi before, Seth could have happily grabbed her up and kissed her in that moment. "What do I do?" he asked eagerly.

JoJo quickly closed and locked the door behind Naomi. She took her casserole dish from her and put it back in its place in the cabinet. "Thank you for picking this up for me." She'd been afraid to ask Seth for it. He would have used her request as an excuse to see her.

"You're welcome. In exchange, you can tell me what kind of freaky things you did to that boy to have him so hooked."

"I didn't do anything to him."

"Girl, he's sitting over there guarding the hallway hoping to catch a glimpse of you."

She didn't want to think about Seth. If he'd cared so much, he wouldn't have immediately dismissed her concerns as a byproduct of insecurity. If he'd cared, he should have followed her when she left and not waited until the next day to contact her.

"He'll get over it soon. I'm sure he'll be picking up women in bars in a week or two."

"You didn't see his face. He's heartbroken."

JoJo bit her lip and tried not to let that affect her. Though the idea of Seth having sex with other women was enough to make her sick to her stomach, she knew that it would happen. He enjoyed sex too much to remain celibate. He would recover much sooner than she. "Can we not talk about him?"

"Sure. You know me. We can always discuss my wedding plans. We've picked a date. Hiring a wedding planner was a stroke of genius. Otherwise, Jimmy's mother and I were going to come to blows. Some of the girls and I were thinking of having a girls' weekend next week. Would you like to come?"

"I don't know," JoJo hedged. She was in an even less of a mood than usual to socialize.

"You won't have to avoid you know who," Naomi enticed. "I'd really like it if you came."

A week ago she couldn't have imagined getting along with well with her cousin. She really appreciated everything Naomi had done for her of late. "Of course, I'll come."

"Good. You won't regret it.

* * *

 _ **Hope you guys liked this chapter like the last one! And if you did leave a reviewww!**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**Hey guy sim so freaking sorry i haven't updated this story in a while you must be angry with me, I've been working on other stories non stop and haven't had time to update this!**_

* * *

JoJo regret agreeing to the girls' weekend as soon as it commenced. Naomi swung by on Friday to pick her up in a limo with her two besties, twins Brie and Nikki. The twins were identical in looks but not personality, Nikki loved material things, sweets, and wine. Brie was Married with a daughter, she and her husband Bryan were vegetarians and didn't care much for money. They were tall and pretty, having taken after their mother, a former model. Their father was a retired sports star. JoJo could never remember what sport he'd played. The twins had never wanted for anything. Everything Nikki owned came with a designer label.

Much to JoJo's surprise, Naomi and Jimmy decided to get married at the end of fall. She'd felt certain that in order to have the perfect wedding, they would have waited until next spring or summer. But it seemed the two were so happy and in love that they didn't want to wait. Plus, Naomi informed her, this way, their wedding would stand out from all the other spring and summer weddings.

Their first stop of the girl's weekend was to a cake tasting. Naomi wasn't going to make a final decision without Jimmy, but she thought it would be a fun way to kick off their festivities. Also, she'd like to narrow the choices down to two favors.

The twins agreed, of course, both choosing red velvet. Naomi liked caramel and JoJo liked chocolate. "That's a surprise," Brie said with a snicker. "From what Naomi tells us, you're into vanilla lately."

"Or more like vanilla has been into her," Nikki said and the twins giggled.

JoJo whipped her head around to glare at her cousin. "Naomi! Why would you tell them?"

"Because the two of you were so sweet together."

"You saw us together exactly once."

Naomi shrugged. She licked her fork clean and placed it back on the plate with the slice of caramel cake. "That was all it took."

JoJo shook her head. She couldn't believe she was letting herself be drawn into this conversation when she'd made it a rule to not think about or discuss Seth. Doing so made her depressed and angry. Much as she'd predicted, he'd gone back to life as usual. He'd stopped calling and sending flowers. She hadn't heard a peep from him since the previous Friday.

Carefully, she placed the plate with chocolate cake on the table in front of her. "What are you going to tell Jimmy?"

"I really liked the caramel, but I think a blend of caramel and chocolate layers could be interesting."

Nikki clapped her hands. "Now that that is decided, can we move on to girls' weekend part two?"

"What's part two?" JoJo asked almost warily.

"The spa!" Brie replied enthusiastically. "We'll get massages, manicures, pedicures, facials—the works!"

JoJo almost groaned. She wasn't good at meeting new people and she damn sure wasn't good at letting strangers touch her while she was naked.

Naomi laughed at her expression. "It'll be fun."

Though JoJo couldn't argue that the results of the facial, manicure, and the pedicure were spectacular, it wasn't fun. She really never did relax during the massage. Her masseuse was a handsome guy with impressive muscles on display under his tight white t-shirt, but his flirtatious manner had kept JoJo on edge. He'd tried giving her his number, but she'd refused to take it.

In the limo again, Brie said, as she practically bounced with excitement, "Time for part three."

JoJo felt like she was going to need a nap as they pulled up in front of a hotel. She didn't even question it as they checked into a room. "Shouldn't we get our bags?" JoJo asked as they headed for the elevators. She'd packed a bag anticipating that they would stay at Naomi's place. However, now she had no idea what was happening. She definitely should have gotten more details before she agreed to come along. Everyone but her seemed to know what was going on.

"Don't worry," Naomi said. "I've got you."

Somehow her cousin's assurance only made her worry more. "Naomi, what are you up to?"

"There's a club on the first floor," she informed her. "We're going to get dressed and go down. After every man in the place falls on the floor, drooling at your feet, you'll feel much better."

"Sounds disgusting," she replied quickly. "I don't want that. I'm perfectly happy being a wallflower."

"Uh, uh," Naomi said, shaking her head. "You need to do this to prove to yourself that you can. JoJo, you told me what Seth said to you. I think you took what he said to you way too hard because it's not that you think that he thinks you're weak. You're the one who thinks you're weak. And, okay, so he made some other mistakes, but nothing he did was unforgivable. It certainly wasn't enough to make you walk away from love like that. Couples have arguments, but then you make up and you're stronger for having learned from your mistakes. You're scared. And that's okay. I was scared, too. It took Jimmy a long time to convince me that he's not going anywhere."

"I'm not doing this," JoJo said stubbornly. "I'm not scared. What I am is pissed."

"Then why not talk to him so you can curse at him. Or make him buy you expensive gifts. What you're doing is running."

"I thought you wanted to help me forget him this weekend. This isn't helping."

Naomi nodded. "I know. But I needed to push your catharsis along. Now that I've got that speech out of the way, we'll get dressed, go down and get something to eat, and dance a little. That includes you, JoJo."

JoJo stared at herself in the mirror and momentarily considered locking herself in the bathroom. However, Naomi could be persistent. It would probably be a waste of time trying to escape her plans. She tugged on the hemline of the very short dress Naomi had demanded that she don. It was black and tiny with a plunging neckline that showed off a considerable about of cleavage. Instead of her usual sensible shoes, her feet were ensnared in dainty sandals with straps that crisscrossed almost all the way to her knee and heels that were at least four inches tall. Fortunately, while at the spa, she'd been completely denuded of all the hair south growing of her eyelashes.

Naomi did her hair and makeup for her. Since Seth liked her hair down, she'd stopped wearing it in a bun. Naomi curled it and fluffed it until JoJo almost didn't recognize herself. The makeup was subtle so JoJo couldn't complain about that. Still…she felt exposed. The dress was so tiny.

She tugged at the hemline again trying to force it to meet her knees.

"Keep tugging and your boobs are going to pop out," Naomi said dryly.

Brie eyed her wistfully. "I wish I had boobs like that. I could never fill out that dress."

JoJo was shocked. Brie had never said anything remotely complimentary to her before. Still… "I don't think-"

"You don't need to think," Naomi interrupted. "We'll be there for you. You have nothing to worry about."

"And yet I can't stop worrying," she mumbled.

"Everyone ready to go?" Nikki asked. She picked up her clutch and Brie picked up hers.

"Yes," Naomi said. She got her own bag and handed JoJo a clutch she'd never seen before. "It matches the dress," her cousin explained. "Come along."

JoJo wasn't sure which she felt more like—a recalcitrant child being led to her punishment or an animal being led to slaughter. This was not going to be good.

Her opinion had not changed an hour later as she turned down yet another man who asked her to dance. She had a line of untouched alcoholic beverages in front of her on their small table, all purchased by hopeful suitors. It was slightly flattering, but it was mostly plain embarrassing.

"Ready to dance, girls?" Naomi asked.

"No," JoJo replied.

"You need to drink one of these to loosen up." Nikki nudged one of more brightly colored drinks at her.

JoJo thought about seth, She wondered where he was tonight. Was he in a bar like this one? Was he buying drinks for some woman? Dancing with her? Inviting her home?

"Come on," Brie encouraged. "Take a sip."

"No, I'd better not." Since she wasn't used to drinking, she was a lightweight. A sip would have her unconscious in a half an hour. "Let's just get this over with." She let them lead her onto the crowded dance floor.

She actually enjoyed the dancing. A few men took this opportunity to approach their little group. Only occasionally did she have to swat away straying hands. She made sure those guys knew that she didn't want to dance with them anymore.

It was as she was ready to walk off the dance floor because she was thirsty that she felt a large pair of hands encase her waist and pull her back to a broad chest. She immediately started to shove his hands off. "You're not getting away from me this time, baby."

JoJo went still with shock. "Seth?" She tried to turn to see him, but he wouldn't allow it. "What are you doing here?"

"You know what I do with my weekends. Troll bars for pussy. At least, that's what you think, isn't it?"

"That's what you used to do," she replied, frustrated because she was unable to break his hold. He leaned over so that he could press his lips against her ear. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to hear him over the music. The feel of his soft lips on her, combined with the waft of his breath over her skin, and the warm smell of his skin that she'd learned to associate with sex, was playing havoc with her calm. Quivers of awareness stirred to life in her lower belly. And that was bad, very bad. She needed to get away from him immediately. "And I guess it's what you're doing now. Don't let me interrupt you." She pushed at his hands.

"There's only one problem with that. I haven't enjoyed hunting for pussy since I first laid eyes on you, JoJo. You're the only one I want."

"That's too bad because we've broken up." She wiggled to no avail. "Let me go."

"No. Dance with me. I saw you dancing with other guys. I deserve a reward for not killing any of them."

"What I do and with whom I do it, is no concern of yours."

"Are you wearing the panties I bought you?"

The question was so off topic and personal that it threw her. "Y-yes."

"You know why you're wearing them? It's because you know that that is my pussy, JoJo. And it always will be."

She didn't like the road this was going down. She couldn't fight him on this level. "I-I thought you wanted to talk."

"I did, but you didn't." His hands drifted from her waist to her stomach. He spread his fingers and the tip of his pinky grazed her mound. "The time for talking is over."

JoJo trembled. She searched the dance floor for her cousin and the twins. None of them were in sight. How was that possible? They'd been there only a moment ago. Thinking to stall for a bit, she said, "All right. Let's dance."

Seth kissed her neck and JoJo's eyes fluttered closed. He turned her in his arms and even though the song was fast, he was barely swaying. It was more of a hug than a dance. His large hands moved up and down her back in a sensual caress. As soon as the song was over, she tried to break from his embrace. "So we danced. I should go. I have-"

"The thing about having a girlfriend so close is that a man gets accustomed to certain comforts. And when those comfort—say sex—are taken away, he finds that he can't do without them. So you were right about me tonight. I was out trolling for pussy—only this time it was specified pussy—yours."

"N-n-no."

Seth grinned down at her. "Do we have to have this conversation again? You want me, JoJo."

"I'm not your girlfriend anymore."

"JoJo, I fucked up. I didn't realize how Alexa felt and I thought I was defending a friend."

"You took her side over mine," she said sadly.

Seth sighed. "We need to get off this dance floor. Come with me." He took her hand and led her out of the club. She was surprised when he led her to the elevators.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Upstairs."

They stepped onto the elevator. A couple of other scantily clad women from the club joined them. One was white and the other was black. They wore matching dresses—only one was red and the other was white. Each had long tresses styled in spiral curls. And they were both eyeing Seth as though they were starving lionesses and he was an injured calf.

Seth dropped a kiss on JoJo's forehead and curled his arm around her waist. He tugged her close until their bodies were flush from shoulder to waist. JoJo looked up at him and his eyes were locked on hers. He seemed oblivious of the other woman's attention.

The other women exited before them, little pouts of disappointment marring their pretty faces. The moment they were alone, Seth leaned over and kissed her again, brushing his full lips across hers so slowly and softly that she almost forgot to object. But she did finally remember. "No, Seth. You're not my boyfriend anymore. You don't get to do that."

"JoJo, I know you still love me. So don't piss me off by pretending you're not mine anymore."

She inhaled a sharp breath. She did not like where this was going. It would be so easy for him to convince her to take him back. He seemed fierce and determined tonight. And she did still love this man, but it would be stupid to willingly expose her heart to that type of pain again. "W-where are you taking me?"

"We're almost there."

They got off on the floor she'd been on with the girls earlier that night. She frowned as he led her to the same room. When he pulled out the card key and let them into the room, she knew that she'd been set up. Earlier the girls had swept into the room and scattered clothes and makeup everywhere in their preparations for hitting the club. Now the room was curiously clean. The lighting was low. The curtains were pulled back to reveal the lights of the city below. A bottle of champagne was chilling in a bucket by the bed. The bedding had been pulled back and pink rose petals decorated the sheets.

JoJo's eyes widened. "Oh, no." She'd walked straight into a seduction.

"Oh, yes," Seth said, shrugging out of his jacket to reveal broad shoulders.

JoJo backed away from him. If she fell into bed with him, she was as good as putty in his hands. There would be no more telling herself or him that it was over. Because she didn't do casual sex.

Desperately, she sought to distract him. "We were going to talk about you taking Alexa's side over mine."

"We'll talk about it after."

He'd removed his shirt and was unfastening his pants. JoJo stopped moving, he was so sexy! His toned arms and chest were on display in the dim lighting of the candles. If she let him continue, he'd be naked soon and then she could make her escape. He couldn't very well follow her into the hallway sans clothing. She dared a glance at the door. She didn't want to get too far away.

"Don't even think about it, baby. You're not getting away from me."

"I don't understand what's going on here." The heat in his gaze was seriously affecting her. A glance down at his tight briefs straining to contain his erection confirmed her suspicions. The man was seriously aroused. JoJo wet her lips.

Seth smiled at her as he dropped his pants. He cupped himself, his hand stroking up the thick stalk of flesh. JoJo began to tremble. She was in serious trouble here. She tried to stiffen her legs as they seemed to be turning into jelly. When Seth, ran his tongue over his own sensual lips, she emitted a cry and ran for the door.

He caught her there, his hands slamming into the framing. He held the door closed so that she couldn't escape. He pressed his big body into hers, grinding his erection into her ass. She had to bite her lip to hold in a whimper. "Take your panties off, JoJo, before I rip them off."

"T-this is not happening," she said breathlessly. She should be terrified not turned on. He was bigger, and stronger than her. Her chances of escaping him were low. And she definitely needed to escape. It was the smart thing to do. He was bound to hurt her again.

Yet, despite all the reasons why she should be afraid and fighting him tooth and nail, a larger part of her wanted him desperately. Had they only spent two weeks apart? It felt like it had been an eternity.

"JoJo, do you know how badly I want you back?"

"No."

"Bad enough to play dirty. We both know how significant the next few hours will be."

"H-hours?"

He laughed and nuzzled her neck. He bit and kissed his way up to her earlobe before whispering, "You don't think that after two weeks of abstinence I'll be satisfied with a quick romp?" He sucked her earlobe into the hot cavern of his mouth.

His hands ran up her outer curves before closing over her breasts. He squeezed until her breasts plumped over the low bodice. He growled. "Who the fuck picked out this dress?"

"N-Naomi."

"It's a crime to let you out looking like this. I thought I was going to have to punch a few guys back at the club."

The next thing she knew, he was gripping the bodice and tearing it open so that her breasts spilled out. "Seth!"

"I'm doing a public service here. You're lucky you didn't cause a riot." He filled his palms with her breasts again, teasing her nipples through the lace of her bra.

JoJo moaned as he began to move his hips as well, humping her against the door. Her chances of escaping were dwindling fast. "Seth, please…."

He yanked her dress up to her waist, an unfortunately short distance. He grabbed the tiny, lace triangle of her panties and tore them from her body. JoJo gasped in shock. Behind her, she could feel him lowering his briefs. "Oh, God, Seth-"

"Don't fight me, JoJo." He rubbed the head of his cock between her pussy lips before centering it at her drenched opening. Both of them moaned. "Tell me what I want to hear," he demanded.

"I-I can't."

"Please, JoJo. Let me have your pussy," he said, sounding as desperate as she felt. He shuddered against her back. "I've missed you. I'm only half alive without you. I love you so fucking much, baby."

JoJo dropped her head onto the door, admitting defeat. "I love you, too, Seth. Make me yours again."

He groaned and shoved deep into her pussy. She moaned at the exquisite pleasure of his thorough possession. "Baby, you were never not mine." And then he went to work, rolling and thrusting his hips.

JoJo cried out and pushed back against him. The feel of him filling her over and over became her sole focus. She widened her stance, spreading her thighs, and he slid deeper, hitting her g-spot. She screamed his name as he pummeled her pussy with fast, hard strokes. Her orgasm rushed over her, making her light headed with its intensity. Seth circled his hips and fucked her through it. "That's right, baby, come on my cock. That feels so f-f-fucking good." He groaned and then he was coming as well. She could feel him swelling and then there was a rush of liquid heat. The pulsing of his cock rubbed over her sensitive tissues making her moan.

She would have collapsed from exhaustion but Seth held her up. He pulled out and lifted her in his arms. He carried her to the bed and crawled on after her. He held her close and linked their fingers.

"You didn't use a condom," she said some minutes later when she could catch her breath enough to speak.

"Damn right I didn't. I didn't intend to. And I'll keep filling you full of cum until I get you pregnant. You're not cutting me out of your life ever again, JoJo."

It was a crazy plan and she didn't believe he was serious for a second. She shifted so that her head rested on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Don't you think that's a bit drastic?"

"Do you have any other suggestions as to keep you from running scared again?"

Still not taking him seriously, quipped, "I don't know, maybe a marriage proposal in a year or so?"

He shook his head. "Not good enough. If I get you knocked up now, you'll have to marry me."

"Based on what logic?"

"Based on the fact that even if you don't say yes, my mom will badger you until you do the honorable thing and make an honest man out of me."

She couldn't help it. She laughed. "Are you saying you'd like to get married sooner?"

"Yeah." He shifted beneath her and then she heard what sounded like a ring box creaking.

Her eyes popped open. She stared at the round diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds in stunned silence. "W-what is that?"

"You know what it is. Will you marry me, JoJo?"

She sat up so that she could look down at him. "What? B-but-"

"Yeah, I know. I said I didn't date. I didn't do commitment. But I'd never met anyone I wanted to commit to. I love you, JoJo. These last couple of weeks without you has been hell. Will you please marry me?"

"What happened to us discussing Alexa and you calling me weak and-"

He sat up as well, bracing his back against the headboard. "One, I truly didn't know about Alexa and I foolishly thought I was being a good friend. She's put me on the backburner numerous times for a boyfriend and I didn't like it. Apparently, everyone but I noticed that she was in love with me. Plus, I thought it meant you didn't trust me. I was wrong. I admit that. And I lashed out like an idiot. That brings us to number two. I never called you weak. I don't think you're weak. Shit, when I saw you in that dress tonight, I almost swallowed my tongue. I wanted to throw my coat over you and cover you from the stares of all those lusting men downstairs. I'm really sorry that I hurt you, JoJo."

She nodded. "And I'm sorry that I cut you off like that. I-I was scared." She'd been scared this past week as well when he didn't call or come by or send flowers as well. She thought she'd lost him. "Why did you stop trying to contact me? I-I thought you'd moved on."

"That was Naomi's idea. She said all the begging was pathetic and that if I wanted you back then I was going to have to grow a set of balls and demand you take me back."

Her cousin knew her well, JoJo admitted. She would have kept avoiding Seth unless she was forced to face him. "Wow. So she set all of this up?"

"We came up with the plan together. By the way, is her middle name really Divine?"

"Yes, why?"

He chuckled. "Because she said it would take divine intervention to get you back. Guess she was right."

JoJo reflected that Jimmy had been really good for her cousin. She couldn't believe Naomi had gone to all this trouble to help her. "I owe my cousin a big thank you."

"JoJo, you're killing me here," he burst out, his impatience and anxiety apparent. "You never answered my question. Will you marry me?"

"Oh, yes, Seth" she said, happy tears filling her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her mouth to his deliciously succulent lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He rolled her beneath him and deepened the kiss. JoJo slid her fingers into his hair and allowed herself to drown in the pleasurable feelings he aroused within her so easily.

* * *

 _ **Epilogue coming up next!**_


	16. Epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

* * *

"Please tell me he begged? I want all the details. Did he get on his knees? Did he cry?" AJ asked eagerly.

JoJo only laughed. Seth narrowed his eyes. "No, I did not cry or get on my knees."

AJ smirked. "But you did beg."

Seth growled. "Fuck off."

"Seth Rollins!" his mother gasped as she carried a tray of lemonade out onto the back porch. "Is that any way to talk to your brother?"

"He started it," Seth said defiantly and AJ laughed.

Their father sighed from his position by the grill. "Why is it that when the two of you get together you devolve into five year olds?"

Wendy slapped AJ on the arm. "AJ, behave. You should be happy that your brother is happy and getting married."

"Oh, he knows I'm happy for him. We just show our love in a different way. I put him in a headlock when he got here, didn't I? That's big brother sign language for 'I love you.'"

When he noticed his parents weren't watching, Seth gave AJ the finger. JoJo clasped his hand and linked their fingers together. Her touch soothed him immediately and reminded him of why they were here. His family wanted to celebrate his and JoJo's engagement.

Though it was three weeks ago, he still chuckled whenever he thought of his mother's reaction to when he'd informed her that he was engaged. He'd called the day after JoJo accepted his proposal. At first his mother had been thrilled. Then she'd been doubtful that he really meant engaged to be married. He'd asked her what other type of engagement there was. Her doubt was soon overcome by joy. After that she'd promptly accused him of playing a practical joke on her. Tired of her emotional rollercoaster, Seth had finally suggested that they have a cookout to celebrate. He didn't want anything too elaborate, or too fancy—just the immediate family and close friends. He didn't want to overwhelm JoJo.

His mother was going to be so disappointed when she learned that they'd decided against having a wedding. They were going to exchange vows at the courthouse. Most women wanted a big day where they'd be the center of attention. His JoJo didn't want that. All she wanted was to be his wife and damn, he couldn't argue with that.

It also calmed Seth that later he'd be alone with JoJo and he intended to make up for lost time. He wanted her underneath him, crying out his name. He couldn't help the turn of his thoughts. Whenever he linked fingers with JoJo, he thought of sex, of sliding between her thighs and joining their bodies together. He suspected that she did as well since her breathing usually grew shallow whenever he took her hand in his.

He raised their joined hands and kissed the backs of her fingers. He nibbled on of her knuckles and grinned when her irises darkened with desire.

"For Pete's sake," Dean groaned. "Could you give it a break?"

"I have to agree," said Naomi. "She's already limping. Can't you give the poor girl a rest?"

"Oh my, God," JoJo moaned, clearly embarrassed. She buried her face in his chest. Seth kissed the top her head and folded her in his arms. He wasn't the least bit ashamed of the fact that he couldn't keep his hands off JoJo.

"I think it's wonderful," said her Aunt Cameron wistfully. "I wish I had a man who looked at me that way."

"Gross, Mom, gross," Naomi said dryly.

Even when she wasn't at his side, Seth couldn't take his eyes off JoJo. She was smiling and laughing while talking to her aunt and cousin. Just seeing her so happy made him full to bursting with joy on the inside. A breeze ruffled her hair and she pushed it back behind her ear. She wore a loose sundress with a floral print, but it wasn't the sort of dress she usually wore. This dress had thick straps and a fitted bodice that clung to her breasts before flaring out at her hips. Seth loved it and he hated it. The soft peach color made her skin glow. She was breathtaking it in, but it was torture for him. He'd been semi-hard all day thinking about bending her over the nearest surface and shoving the hem up around her waist.

"Really, man, give it a break," Dean said.

Seth grunted. "Sorry. I can't help it."

Renee pinched Dean in the arm. "It wouldn't hurt you to be so obviously smitten." She flounced off to join the other women.

Dean glared at him. "See what you did? You've gotten me in trouble."

Seth laughed. "I didn't get you in trouble. You did that on your own."

Dean grumbled. "Have you heard from Alexa?"

"No. You?"

"Yeah. She said she's going to give it a go with Buddy again." He shrugged. "Maybe it'll work this time now that she knows that you're not a possibility."

"God, I hope so." He hated that his friend was hurting and he was unable to help her or even be there as her support. The best thing he could do for her was stay out of her life.

"Me, too."

"So, Dean…when are you going to tie the knot?"

Dean glared at him. "Do not start that shit with me, man."

Seth burst out laughing. "Come on," he said when Dean walked off from him in a huff. "I was just kidding!"

JoJo wrapped her arms around Seth's neck and held on for dear life. She tried to muffle her cries as he pumped into her, but her efforts of discretion were probably wasted at any rate. The headboard of his old twin bed was banging against the wall with every thrust of his body into hers.

"Oh, God, baby," Seth groaned into her neck. He slid his hands up her sides and linked their fingers together over her head. "Your pussy is so fucking good." He punctuated the last three words with hard thrusts, burying his cock to the hilt in her pussy.

His jeans abraded her inner thighs. They hadn't bothered to remove their clothing. Seth had backed her in here under the pretense of showing her the bedroom he'd grown up in. She hadn't even taken a complete turn of the room before he was kissing her and pulling up the skirt of her dress. He seemed surprised to find her already wet when he slid his hand in her panties. As if any woman wouldn't be after having him eye fuck her the entire day. After that, it was on. He'd ripped off her panties, a lacy orange pair this time, then guided her back on his bed and kissed her senseless. She didn't protest when he shoved down his jeans and pulled out his cock though for the sake of propriety she probably should have. They were in his parents' house after all with their engagement party still going on downstairs.

JoJo bit her lip. She was so close. She could feel the orgasm building in her belly. She squeezed his hands tightly as it barreled down on her. Her hips arched up into his as he continued to pound into her. "Oh, Seth," she moaned.

He grunted, speeding up the pace of his thrusts. "That's right, baby. Come on my cock." He growled as he stiffened, his cock pulsing deep inside her as he flooded her with his hot seed. Then he released a long groan and collapsed on top of her. JoJo relished his weight. He pressed kisses to her neck and jaw. "Baby, I'm sorry. I really didn't bring you in here for this."

She laughed. "A likely story."

"Okay, so I was hopeful." He ran his lips up under her chin before claiming her mouth in a slow, sweet kiss. "I love you, JoJo."

"I love you, too, Seth." He began levering himself off of her. He tucked himself back into his briefs and zipped up his jeans. He took JoJo's hands and pulled her to her feet. She grimaced at the wet feeling between her thighs. "I need to clean up." He bent, picked up her ripped undies, and shoved it into his pocket. "Have you got anything I can put on?"

"Nope. It'll be just as hard for me, knowing that you're not wearing any panties."

JoJo shook her head. "You're insatiable," she said, but smiled.

"Only when it comes to you, baby." He gave her a quick kiss. "I can't wait to get you home in our bed."

He'd basically moved out of his apartment and into hers. He was almost at the end of his lease and he had no plans to renew it. When hers was up, they'd buy a house. They'd already started hunting since Seth wanted to start a family right away. When her man settled down, he really settled down.

They walked out of his bedroom hand in hand and ran right into his mother. JoJo felt her face go hot. Surprisingly, Seth blushed as well. Lillian only shook her head. "Well, at least I know you're working on giving me another grandbaby." And then she continued down the hall to the stairs.

"Shit."

JoJo laughed at his thunderstruck expression. "I'll see you downstairs, babe." She kissed his cheek and went to the bathroom to clean up. When she came out some minutes later, still self-conscious about being bare assed, her cousin was waiting for her in the hallway.

Naomi gave her a knowing grin. "I never would have thought that you'd have it in you to sneak off in the middle of a party to fool around. Well, at least now that he's got it out of his system, he can stop drooling after you. Girl, you have got that guy so smitten."

JoJo laughed. She couldn't help it. She was happy. Seth was not at all subtle about how much he was into her and she loved it. "Naomi, thanks again for everything you did to help get us back together."

She shrugged. "It wasn't a problem." They headed towards the stairs. "Jimmy pointed out that I was happy with my life and that I had no reason to be jealous of you anymore."

JoJo halted. "Jealous of me? What on earth for?"

"Because you've always had your shit together. You had two parents who loved you more than anything. Even when your entire world fell apart when they died, you didn't let it break you. You've always been so smart, and organized, and talented. I was none of those things. I felt like I couldn't compete."

"Naomi, I never wanted to compete with you. I only wanted to be friends, sisters."

"I know that now. I wish I'd been better to you. I'd really like it if you'd reconsider being my maid-of-honor. I want it to be you. Besides, I can't pick between the twins. Talk about competitive!"

JoJo laughed. They'd reached the bottom of the stairs. "I think I'd like that." Naomi hugged her and she hugged her back.

JoJo traced the script down Seth's shoulder blades. She thought that the quote might be from Frankenstein, but she wasn't sure. She hadn't read it since college. Seth twitched as her finger travelled down his spine. "Does that tickle?"

"A little."

She leaned down and kissed the back of his neck. Even amongst all the pink pillows and ruffles of their bedroom, he looked manly. Perhaps he looked even more so. She ran her hands over his broad shoulders and down his back, simply enjoying touching him. Seth hummed. He was probably exhausted and rightfully so. As soon as they'd walked in the apartment, he had her holding up her skirt again while he went down on her in their kitchen. Then he'd taken her against the door. As if that weren't enough, he'd decided to move the action to the bedroom. He'd stripped down to nothing and then made her beg for the pleasure of riding him—all while she was still wearing her dress. JoJo concluded that he really liked her new dress. She threaded her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp.

Seth moaned. "Keep it up, baby, and I'll be rolling you beneath me. I know you've got to be sore."

"And you should be too sated to even think of doing it again."

"We covered this earlier. I seem to have no satiation point when it comes to you."

"Seth, this is supposed to be a comforting massage."

"You expect me not to respond when you've got your hands on me?"

When he put it that way…. "I agreed to be Naomi's maid-of-honor."

"I can't wait to see the dress."

JoJo shook her head at his one tracked mind. "Naomi's wedding is going to be all about her. My dress will be just short of hideous. It won't be so ugly as to ruin the day, but definitely nothing special." She allowed his hair to sift through her fingers.

"What will you wear when we get married?"

"I'm going to shop for something. I'd like it to be white and lacy, but I'm starting to have my doubts."

He turned his head so that he could look at her. His lids were at half-mast. "Why?"

She dropped a kiss onto his lips. "You can't seem to control yourself when I'm not covered up."

He grinned. "It'll be our wedding day. Isn't that the point?"

"Yes, but it'd be nice to get through the ceremony and maybe a dinner afterward without you dragging me off somewhere to be naughty."

He grunted. "You loved it."

JoJo bit her lip to keep from smiling. He was right. She had loved that he'd wanted her so badly that he'd been unable to wait until they made it home. She abandoned his hair to explore his back. She allowed her palms to flow down the curve of his spine to his tight buttocks.

"JoJo, you're asking for it. I'm warning you-" She squeezed one taut cheek. With a mock roar, Seth rolled over and quickly pinned her beneath him. His cock was a hard bar against her thigh. "Tell me what I want to hear."

Hiding her grin, she said, "I want to make love with you."

"Damn right, you do." He reached behind her and unzipped her dress and then sat up to help her pull it off. "I want to feel all of your skin against mine." And then he was covering her again, kissing her deeply. He laced his fingers with hers, a gesture she now realized symbolized love, desire, and a sense of connection. All her thoughts scattered as he slid between her thighs and made them one.

Seth wondered how he'd spent so long without her, she was the one and only woman for him. At that moment he'd realized he played the Love game and lost, he never thought he'd be so happy to lose.

* * *

 _ **Hey guys i'm soooo sad this is ending but all things good must come to an end. I just wanna say that i'm very happy and grateful to everyone who Favorited, followed and reviewed! You guys have given me the confidence to write more and more these days! I hope you will all keep me on your favorites list because i have a new story coming out this friday! I won't spoil the details just yet! I'll put the possible covers on my tumblr and you can find my tumblr page in my bio! Love you all! Until next time!**_


End file.
